YuGiOh! GX Millennia Chronicles
by Eventide Oracle
Summary: Another year has started at the GX Academy and a new student body has taken over. With the start of a new year and a new tournament, the students must come to terms with thier pasts in order to move on to the future.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, everyone and welcome to my Fic, Millennia Chronicles! This is the first chapter and while some things may appear to be cliché, I promise that it changes rather quickly. Also, this chapter is a bit short since it is a bit of an introduction, but the rest are about twice as long. I've done through Chapter 18, so if you rate me I'll post more.

**CHAPTER 1: Dawning of a New Era**

The wind blew through an 18 year old, Ryan's, auburn colored hair as he stood in the Zephyr Fields when a white helicopter soared overhead. It was early September and Ryan was aware that the helicopter he had just witnessed was dropping of the latest incoming freshman at Seto Kaiba's official Duelist Academy. Ryan had come to really enjoy this place. The island was located near Fiji and seemed to never have bad weather. In addition, Seto Kaiba had the island totally revamped. There were fields, caves, forests, beaches, and even deserts located in different areas of the island, although, the beautiful and unique environment came with a price. The Duelist Academy was very rigorous in its training, and had the threats to back up its world renowned reputation. It raised some of the best duelists that the dueling world has known.

Regardless of his physical stature, Ryan had established his reputation at the Dueling Academy. Being 5 foot 10 inches and only 115 pounds, most would see him as a target for bullying. On the contrary, his silent temperament and popularity, due to his dueling talent, made him one of the most feared, yet respected, duelists on the island. He was a member of Obelisk Blue, the dorm in which the most elite duelists stayed, and was arguably the best duelist attending the Duelist Academy. Ryan usually liked to have time to himself in order to ponder life's questions. Before he attended the Duelist Academy, Ryan was going to pursue a career in philosophy. Nobody, including his closest friends, knew of Ryan's true reason for dueling and for attending the Duelist Academy. Seen as the dark and silent type, Ryan was much more then that; a tortured soul that was attempting to find redemption through asking the right questions and gaining the Truth. Ryan applied many philosophical theories to not only his life but to his dueling as well.

"Show me the truth," Ryan though to himself silently.

Suddenly a finger tapped him on the shoulder. Ryan quickly turned around as he saw a boy who was about his age and height, but was much more muscular than him. This boy was also one of Ryan's closest friends on the island, Ben.

"Hey, Ryan," Ben said with an excited tone ringing in his voice, "I had a feeling I'd find you here, they just dropped off the freshman, we have to get to the main Dueling Hall for their placement tests."

Ryan had almost forgotten. The incoming freshman must duel members of Obelisk Blue dorms. Depending on their success in the duel, the freshman were placed in one of two dorms, Osiris Red, for the duelists who are novices, and Ra Yellow, for the experienced and potential Obelisk Blue duelists. The Obelisk Blue dorms were reserved for seniors who showed extreme talent while in the Ra Yellow dorm during their previous years.

Ben and Ryan began to head back to the main dueling hall. Discussion amongst Ra Yellow and Osiris Red duelists occurred as Ryan and Ben passed by. Ben also was one of the elite. From the moment he entered the Dueling Academy, Ben was known for his modest attitude. Ben's deck, on the other hand, was known to come down hard on his opponents without much warning. Ben was quickly placed into the elite group of duelists that were attending the Duelist Academy from the moment of his arrival. He was normal, a care free type that enjoyed a good time with his friends. Known for sometimes being a bit overzealous, Ben simply loved being a part of the Dueling Academy. Unfortunately for Ben's enemies, regardless of this lighthearted outlook, Ben carried some major distastes. He didn't like overly arrogant newcomers that felt they would run the school. He also, wasn't particularly fond of pessimists. While Ben and Ryan appeared to be opposites, Ben saw Ryan as more of a spiritual and silent type opposed to one that was simply down all of the time. Regardless of Ben's elite dueling skills, he would never be bullied. Unlike Ryan, Ben was a fighting machine. Being a black belt in both Soo Bahk Doo, and Capoeira, as well as having some street fighting knowledge to back him up, Ben wasn't one to be toyed with. Some say that although Ben is usually modest and reserved, when pushed to the proper limits, can become as rough as the plethora of divine angels found in his deck.

Ryan and Ben came to the front of the main Dueling Hall. As they walked in they could see 4 different platforms where testing was going on, as well as arena seating all around. Some eager freshman stood with their standard Duel Disks on arm, waiting for their moment to shine or crumble, while other pushed and shoved acting like pre-pubescent boys. Ryan and Ben made their way up to the Dueling register station for attendance purposes.

"Ben Farrow from Obelisk Blue signing in," Ben said to the official in charge of attendance.

"Very Well, Benjamin, you are signed in. And you are?" the official stated, directing his attention to Ryan.

"Ryan DeLaurentis, also from Obelisk Blue," Ryan stated apathetically.

"Ryan you are up next in Arena 1 against Trevor Scanlon." The official stated.

"So it looks like you're up first, eh?" Ben said quizzically.

"Yes, it does." Ryan replied looking down at his deck.

"Well I really feel sorry for this Trevor kid." Ben said. "He's got to go up against the best on the island for his placement test. He's destined for Osiris Red."

"I don't know my opponent; therefore I won't pass judgment on his abilities yet." Ryan said in response to Ben's compliment, "Knowing that you don't know is the path to true knowledge."

"Here he goes again, quoting philosophers" Ben replied playing on Ryan's stern and wise nature. "You do raise a good point, though."

"Trevor Scanlon, please report to Arena 1" an announcer over a loudspeaker broadcasted.

"Well, that's my cue." Ryan said as he made his way to the Arena.

"Good luck, Ryan!" Ben shouted form the stands. "Not like I think you'll need it!"

Everyone began to shift their focus to Arena 1 as Ryan was entering it. Whispers could be heard about how Ryan was supposedly one of the best, and that this new kid was definitely done for. Ryan stood in the arena making final comfort adjustments to his Duel Disk, when the floor on the opposite end of the Arena began to raise revealing Ryan's opponent. The boy seemed to be around 16 and was plump for his age. He had dark brown hair and a mix of freckles and pimples on his face. Ryan looked on and almost appeared irked by this challenge.

"Heya!" the boy said. "My name's Trevor, and I'm a huge fan!"

Ryan hated being treated as a celebrity. He also hated the tone of this boy's voice. It sounded screechy and giddy, two things that Ryan wasn't favorable of.

"Duelists, are you ready?" the judge that stood in the Arena said.

"You better believe it!" Trevor replied "I'm going to be the one to take him down!"

Ryan simply nodded showing the judge that he was recognizing his statement.

"This will be a 4000 Life Point duel, and the new arrival, Trevor, will get the first move," the judge explained. "Duel Start!"


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews! I hope you all enjoy the second chapter.

**CHAPTER 2: May the Truth Be Revealed**

Ryan4000 Trevor4000

Both duelists stared at each other as their Duel Disks got into Battle position.

"Here we go!" Trevor screeched as he drew his first card. "I summon Blazing Inpachi (1850/0) in attack mode!"

A tall log creature that was bursting in flames appeared on the field.

"Next I'll set two cards face down in my spell and trap zone!" Trevor said. "I end my turn."

Two face down cards appeared behind the Blazing Inpachi signifying that there were two cards in the spell and trap area. By now almost everyone in the audience was focused on this duel.

"My deck will pass judgment upon your very soul, I draw one card." Ryan said. "I summon Mystic Tomato (1400/1100) in attack mode!"

A large tomato with dark purple veins and a nasty grin appeared on the field.

"Now, I set four cards in my spell and trap area" Ryan stated, "and I end my turn."

Four face down cards appeared behind Ryan's monster.

"Now it's time to heat things up!" Trevor said laughing at his own lame pun, "I summon Solar Flare Dragon (1500/1000) in attack mode!"

The ground burst into flames as a pillar of molten rock formed into a slender dragon.

"With my Solar Flare Dragon on the field, not only will you take 500 Points of damage during every one of my end phases, but my Solar Flare Dragon is immune to all attacks so long as I have another Pyro-type monster on the field!" Trevor proclaimed as if he had come upon a dueling revelation. "I hope you like your food fried, because now my Blazing Inpachi will attack your Tomato!"

The large log creature charged at Ryan's Mystic Tomato and trampled it leaving a gooey purple mess behind.

Ryan3550 Trevor4000

"You have activated my Mystic Tomato's special effect." Ryan explained, "When it is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Dark attribute monster with an attack of 1500 or less from my deck in attack mode."

"Here we go." Ben said as he watched on from the seats in the crowd.

"The monster I choose is Mind on Air (1000/1600)!" Ryan shouted.

The purple goop that was left behind form Mystic Tomato began to mutate and take form. Suddenly the mutation morphed into a blue skinned creature with a large, clear, sphere on the top of her head that revealed her brain. She wore a one piece bikini outfit and had many wires connecting from her helmet to her body. Dark gruesome veins ran throughout her skin but she was still beautiful in her somber appearance.

"Heh, that thing is a joke!" Trevor taunted as if he had the upper hand.

"I don't joke." Ryan replied. "So long as my Mind on Air is face up on the field you must play this duel with your hand face up!"

Suddenly, Trevor's cards in his hand began to glow and then appeared above him very largely. The cards revealed were Spirit of the Flames, Salamandra, and Tyrant Dragon.

"Well you got a peek at my hand, but you must have forgotten that my Solar Flare Dragon has yet to attack!" Trevor responded. "Solar Flare Dragon, Show him what's hot and what's not!"

Ryan ignored yet another of Trevor's dueling puns as he pushed a button on his Duel Disk, "I activate my trap card, Gravity Bind!"

The Solar Flare Dragon stopped in its tracks as glowing, green, netting covered his Solar Flare Dragon. Trevor looked around and noticed that it also covered his Blazing Inpachi, and Ryan's Mind on Air as well.

"This continuous trap card stops all monsters with four or more stars from attacking." Ryan explained.

"Very well," Trevor said, "But I end my turn, and even though Gravity Bind stops my fire monsters attacks it doesn't stop their Burn!"

The Solar Flare Dragon began writhing in midair and five embers shot down at Ryan, hitting him directly.

Ryan3050 Trevor4000

"I draw one card." Ryan said. "I switch my Mind on Air into defense mode and I now set another card face down, and I end my turn."

Mind on Air kneeled on one knee still covered by the netting. In addition, a face down card hologram appeared in Ryan's spell and trap zone.

"Wow, that's productive!" Trevor said sarcastically, "I draw!"

"I activate my two face-down trap cards," Ryan stated, "Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

A large Egyptian eye made of stone appeared above the field. Then a small girl appeared in Ryan's Spell and trap zone. The girl looked pale and blue skinned. She wasn't blue skinned naturally, it appeared that she was cringing and writhing in her own agony.

"You'll be happy to hear, that the Eye of Truth also allows for me to see your hand, just in case you destroy my Mind on Air. In addition, you gain 1000 Life Points if you have a Spell card in your hand during each of your standby phases." Ryan said.

"Why would you do that?" Trevor asked sarcastically.

"Well I'm sorry that you'll be sad to hear that my second trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi, negates all life Gain that a player would benefit from and turns it into Direct Damage!" Ryan explained. "So instead of you gaining 1000 Life Points during each of your turns if a Spell card is in your hand, you will be losing 1000 Life Points!"

The crowd gave a unanimous "Ooo" as Ryan revealed the lead combo in his deck.

"Th-that can't be!" Trevor said to himself.

"Let the Truth be revealed!" Ryan said as Trevor's latest card that he drew appeared above him with the rest of his hand.

The cards were Spirit of the Flames, Salamandra, Tyrant Dragon, and now, the Thing in the Crater.

"Last I checked, Salamandra was a Spell card, so you know what that means." Ryan said.

The Egyptian styled eye began to glow as it showered down on Trevor white mist. Suddenly the writing girl screeched and the mist turned to green toxins that dripped heavily on Trevor. Trevor screamed as the hologram toxins hit his skin.

Silen3050 Trevor3000

"You're good." Trevor said, "But I'm far from done. I play Salmandra on my Blazing Inpachi!"

The flaming log creature was encased with a dome of fire and a symbol of a dragon replaced the "18" that was on its chest.

"The effect of my Salamandra Spell card raises the attack of my Blazing Inpachi by 700!" Trevor shouted out. "Now, not only is my Blazing Inpachi at 2550 for attack, but my Spell card is gone from my hand, so your Burning will cease to exist."

"That is if you draw no Spell cards for the remainder of the duel." Ryan retorted, "I activate my face-down Spell card, Pingeonholding Books of Spell!"

A large book that radiated white light appeared on the field in front of Ryan. Its cover was a deep crimson and it had golden inscriptions on it.

"Show me the truth!" Ryan shouted.

The book's lock on the side opened and the pages revealed to Silen what he had asked for.

"This card allows for me to look at the top three cards of your deck and rearrange them as I like." Ryan explained. "Not only this, but you don't get to see what these three cards are till you draw them."

Ryan saw that the three cards were Backfire, Swords of Revealing Light, and Molten Destruction, in that order. Since Backfire was a trap while Swords of Revealing Light and Molten Destruction were both Spells, Ryan rearranged the cards to ensure that Trevor would be drawing Spells for his next two turns.

"Back to your turn," Ryan said as the mystical book disappeared from the field.

"I end my turn by setting one monster face down in defense mode." Trevor said. "Now Solar Flare Dragon, turn up the heat!"

The dragon again writhed in the air and five embers rained down on Ryan.

Ryan2550 Trevor3000

Ryan looked at Trevor's revealed hand and saw that The Thing in the Crater had disappeared.

"Your face-down monster is no secret to my Eye of Truth, Trevor." Ryan said. "I have revealed the Truth, and now it is time for me to pass Judgment!"

"This Ryan kid is pretty deep, eh?" a Ra yellow member asked Ben.

"More then you could ever imagine." Ben replied.

"I draw!" Ryan shouted.

"I activate my face down card, Mystical Space Typhoon on your Bad Reaction to Simochi!" Trevor shouted.

A small typhoon kicked up on the field.

"Woah, this Ryan kid just had his strategy toasted!" an Osiris Red member that was sitting on the other side of Ben said out loud.

"Did you hear a word that he said?" Ben said, scolding he boy, "He is going to pass Judgment."

"I activate my face down trap card, Judgment of Anubis!" Ryan shouted.

A large black statue of the Jackal headed God, Anubis appeared on a pedestal.

"By discarding one card from my hand I am allowed to negate an opponent's Spell card that destroys one of my Spell or Trap cards!" Ryan enlightened. "I discard, Burning Algae (500/1500) from my hand to negate Mystical Space Typhoon!"

The statue's eyes began to glow red as the spinning tornado ceased in mid air. Suddenly, it began to rain down on Trevor. Instantly, the girl on Ryan's side of the field began to wail again and the rain turned to fire. Trevor screamed at its sudden appearance.

Ryan2550 Trevor2000

"What is happening?" Trevor shouted like a school child.

"By discarding Burning Algae I triggered its effect." Ryan clarified. "When this card is sent to the graveyard by any means, the opponent gains 1000 Life Points, but due to my Bad Reaction to Simochi, you lose 1000 Life Points."

"Woah, way to turn it around!" the Osiris Red member shouted out.

"Oh, he's just getting started." Ben replied.

"Now to resolve the second effect of my Judgment of Anubis trap card," Ryan said. "Its second effect allows for me to destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field and deal direct damage to their Life Points equal to that monster's attack."

"No, it can't be." Trevor replied in a whimpering tone.

"I now pass Judgment on Blazing Inpachi!" Ryan scolded, "Which means that you receive 2550 points of direct damage!"

The large Jackal headed statue turned to smoke and a large Jackal head appeared from that smoke. It howled and the Blazing Inpachi shattered. The noise scared Trevor as he plugged his ears and squatted to the ground in response to it.

Ryan2550 Trevor0

"This duel is over. Ryan, from Obelisk Blue, wins!" the judge announced.

The crowd began to cheer and clap as the holograms vanished.

"I showed the Gods your true self and they passed Judgment. You failed." Ryan said as he walked calmly out of the Dueling Arena leaving Trevor slumped on his knees in awe.

"Great Duel, Ryan," Ben said jumping out of his seat as he met Ryan half way to where he was originally sitting.

"Thank you, Ben." Ryan replied quietly.

"Can I have your autograph?" three girls from Osiris Red said to Ryan as they ran up to him after his win. "You did so well, you are definitely the next Seto Kaiba!"

"I'm not the next anyone." Ryan replied forcefully, "Now please, leave me alone."

The three girls appeared shocked at Ryan's anger towards their comment and took the social cue to walk away.

"Well you sure told them." Ben said with a large grin trying to add some comedy to the serious situation, "I can't say I'd have the guts to turn down three beautiful girls who asked me for my autograph."

"They don't want my autograph," Ryan replied. "They just want the autograph of the one who will replace Seto Kaiba."

"Well can you blame them?" Ben asked innocently.

"I think I just did." Ryan replied. "Isn't your duel next?"

"I think it's in the next round." Ben replied. "I'm going to be dueling a kid by the name of Tyler Topallian."

"What do you know of him?" Ryan asked.

"Well according to what the word is in the Arena today, he's confident in his skills and can sometimes be arrogant." Ben said.

"That's just how you like them." Ryan replied with a small smirk.

"Yep, and I'm definitely going to teach him a lesson." Ben replied, with a malevolent grin overcoming his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: The Test of Heaven's Strength **

"Tyler Topallian, please report to Arena 2" the announcer said.

Ben saw in the distance a tall and muscular boy approaching the Arena with a sly grin on his face.

"Oh, this ought to be fun." Ben thought to himself.

Ben began his descent down the stairs as Ryan walked into the balcony where he could get a better view and not be bothered by anymore "fans."

"It can't be!?!" Ryan noticed a familiar yet unrecognizably annoying voice coming from behind him, "Ryan! It's been such a long time! Oh, how I've missed you so!"

Ryan knew who this person was but turned around to face him anyway in order to stop the potential scene that could ensue from this.

"Hello, Shibai." Ryan replied in an even more annoyed tone.

Shibai Hayari stood maybe an inch taller then Ryan. He wore the standard Obelisk Blue outfit; a dark blue coat lined with white and black pants, though it was hard to miss the large purple rose pinned on his chest as well as his matching purple shirt underneath his coat. Shibai's hair was long and silver and flowed down to his waist. His build was like that of Ryan except he carried himself in a more feminine and elegant manner.

"Oh, so formal, Ry," Shibai said, "How would anyone know that we were relatives if you treat me with such formality?"

Shibai, being the drama queen that he was put his head into his hands as if Ryan's formal greeting was tearing him apart inside. Shibai was always the overly dramatic, egotistical, charmer of the group, and knew that with his good looks could get anyone that he desired. His parents ran a fashion boutique and Shibai sure liked to flaunt that. He always had on extremely effeminate outfits, and many of the boys in Obelisk Blue would accidentally hit on him by mistaking him for a girl.

"I told you, we aren't relatives." Ryan said. "Your mother married my uncle after she already had you. We are step-cousins!"

"Doesn't it all end up in the same place, anyway, dearest cousin?" Shibai said in a loud and obnoxious tone. "So, I saw your little test duel, quite impressive, I must say."

"Thank you, Shibai." Ryan said coldly. "Now if you don't mind, Ben is dueling in Arena 2 and I would like to watch the duel without being interrupted."

"Well, I feel hurt that you don't want me to be in your presence, but being the loving cousin that I am, I'll accept your request for some alone time." Shibai said jokingly, "I have my duel in Arena 4 in the next round, anyway. I hope you'll stay to watch me!"

Ryan simply nodded in a dismissive manner.

"Well I'll see you around, Ry" Shibai said, "You seem to have changed a lot over the past few years. I like what you've done with your hair! You look so cute when you are annoyed!"

Finally, Shibai walked down the stairs and out of Ryan's line of vision. Out of everyone in the school, Ryan loathed Shibai the most. Ryan focused back on Arena 2 and it appeared that the duel between Ben and Tyler Topallian had just begun.

"Duel, start!" the judge shouted out.

Ben4000 Tyler4000

"Allow me to start this off, Ben," Tyler said. "I summon Amazoness Paladin (1700/300) in attack mode!"

A tan-skinned, blonde, Amazon appeared on the field. She wore light tan rags that appeared to be strategically placed to cover all of her necessary areas. Everything about her looked peaceful and beautiful, but in her hand she wielded a large sword that spoke of death.

"My Amazoness Paladin increases its attack by 100 for every Amazoness card on the field, including herself!" Tyler said.

The beautiful woman bean to chant and her attack jumped to 1800.

"Next, I'll set three cards face down, and end my turn." Tyler said. "Show me what you've got, Ben."

Three facedown cards appeared behind the Amazon.

Ben stared on at Tyler as he said, "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800), in attack mode!"

From the field appeared a girl with a leopard printed outfit on and a set of drums around her waist. While the little oni didn't seem to be much of a threat from her outer appearance, her attack points argued otherwise.

"Next, I set two cards face down, and end my turn as well." Ben said with a smirk.

Two face down cards appeared behind Ben's oni.

"Smart move," Ryan said to himself as he looked on from the stands. "Very smart move."

"Why didn't you attack me?" Tyler asked out. "Oh well, your loss, I tribute my Amazoness Paladin for Dark Driceratops (2400/1500), in attack mode!"

The silent Paladin vanished from the field as a stamping, green Triceratops took her place. The large behemoth seemed to not care about anything but dealing damage as it huffed and snorted in place.

"You made a mistake by not attacking me when you had the chance" Tyler said, "Dark Driceratops, attack Thunder Nyan Nyan!"

The large dino seemed relieved that its master had let it attack something as it charged towards the Thunder Nyan Nyan.

"I activate my trap, Draining Shield!" Ben shouted out.

As the dinosaur came an inch away from hitting head on with the Thunder Nyan Nyan, a golden barrier over the oni and the Dark Driceratops slammed into it. The Barrier shattered and the Dark Driceratops returned to its place without leaving a scratch on Thunder Nyan Nyan. Suddenly, bright light shone down on Ben as he looked up at it with a smile of peace overcoming his face.

Ben6400 Tyler4000

"My trap card not only negates the attack of your Dark Driceratops, but also increases my Life Points by that monster's attack." Ben explained.

"Well, my turn is over." Tyler said.

"I draw, and I play my Field Spell card, Luminous Spark!" Ben shouted out.

The entire field was illuminated with divine light as Thunder Nyan Nyan looked up to the heavens with reverence in her eyes.

"This card increases all Light monsters' attacks by 500 and lowers their defenses by 400, raising my Thunder Nyan Nyan's attack power to 2400!" Ben explained. "Next, I activate my Spell card, Change of Heart!"

A half demon, half angel hybrid appeared on the field and seemed to possess Tyler's monster that lost all life in its eyes and slowly walked over to Ben's side of the field.

"Now, I tribute both, Thunder Nyan Nyan and your Dark Driceratops for Emes the Infinity (2500/2000)!" Ben shouted. "Pray that the heavens are gentle with you in your defeat!"

The two monsters were absorbed in bolts of lightning that came from the Earth to the heavens. As the above field grew brighter, a large beam of light slammed onto the field and a giant mechanical warrior, sent from heaven, materialized on Ben's side of the field holding a large white shield and sword.

"Your defeat has been chosen by the heavens." Ben stated. "With my Luminous Spark Spell card on the field, Emes the Infinity's attack is increased by 500 points making him 3000!"

The light graced Emes as it moaned in a tone resembling a whale's song and its attack jumped to 3000.

"Now, Emes, attack Tyler's life points directly!" Ben ordered.

Emes aimed its sword to the heavens and it began to glow with white energy. Then it aimed its sword at Tyler and a beam of light fired from it. The light soared across the field silently, like one was in the eye of a hurricane, yet its force was outstanding.

"I activate my trap, Negate attack!" Tyler shouted.

A giant barrier appeared before the incoming energy ray, its center appeared to be a black hole from which no light escaped.

"I counter with Trap Jammer!" Ben yelled. "When a trap card is activated during the Battle Phase, Trap Jammer, negates and destroys it."

Underneath the force field a pentagram appeared that shattered the barrier protecting Tyler. The beam of light hit Tyler hard as it exploded on contact and sent him off of his feet.

Ben6400 Tyler1000

"Next, I set two cards face down and end my turn." Ben said.

Two face down card holograms appeared behind Emes.

"I won't let you win." Tyler said regaining his stance, "I play the Spell card, Pot of Greed!"

A large green pot with an equally large grin appeared on the field. The pot laughed as two cards rose from inside of it.

"This card lets me draw two more cards," Tyler explained, "Now I activate the Black Luster Ritual!"

Two large metal pots with an emblem of two crossed swords appeared on the field, flames emerging from them.

"I discard, Gigantes and The Rock Spirit from my hand to summon the Black Luster Soldier (3000/2500)!"

A large soldier with rock armor appeared on the field as well as a giant behemoth wielding a club. They vanished into the two pots and smoke rose from them. Suddenly, in a beam of light, a large soldier dressed in navy blue and golden armor appeared on the field. His large sword shimmered from the excess light of Luminous Spark and his helmet covered every aspect of his face except his eyes, which flickered with determination.

"Now, I play the Spell card, Heavy Storm!" Tyler shouted as he held up his card.

A huge hurricane took over the field and the Light from Luminous Spark ceased to exist.

"This card destroys all Spell and Trap cards on the field." Tyler explained, "Now your Emes' attack is lowered to 2500, Black Luster Soldier, attack!"

The large soldier leapt into the air and sliced down with its massive sword. A line of white light fired from his sword and sped at the large, mechanical, deity. The explosion caused the arena to shake as the massive beast crumbled to the ground.

Ben5900 Tyler1000

The audience couldn't believe that Tyler had pulled off such an impressive comeback. Ryan simply stared on at the duel without showing any emotion whatsoever. It appeared that he almost was deep in though pondering some hidden question in this duel. Shibai sat in the crowd surrounded by his 'fans' as he cheered out to the duelists.

"Wonderful show, my little dueling protégés!" Shibai shouted from the audience. "They are both adorable in the way that they look at each other with such drive and forcefulness."

Ryan simply grunted in disgust at Shibai's observation.

"How was that move for you," Tyler said. "It looks like there will soon be a new member of Ra Yellow."

"I'm far from done, Tyler." Ben said. "I set one monster in defense mode and I end my turn."

A face down, horizontal card appeared in front of Ben.

"I draw, and I play the Spell card, Nobleman of Crossout!" Tyler shouted. "This card removes your monster from play and if it is a flip effect monster, any additional monsters of that name are removed from both of our decks."

A soldier with long blonde hair and silver armor appeared on the field. He scoured the face down monster and a small plant was revealed. With that, it vanished from the field and Ben looked on in annoyance.

"The monster that you have removed was Fiber Jar." Ben said.

"Ha!" Tyler shouted out, "Lady Luck is on my side today, Black Luster Soldier attack Ben directly!"

The soldier, again, jumped so into the sky that his silhouette was all that one could see with their naked eye. He came crashing into the ground and sent a narrow wall of light at Ben who braced himself for the oncoming impact. Being directly hit, Ben skidded back a few feet, but quickly regained his composure and walked forward to where he was originally standing.

Ben2900 Tyler1000

The crowd began to roar at Tyler's direct attack.

"I end my turn." Tyler said becoming excited, "You better do something next turn, Ben."

"This turn will be the only one that counts," Ben said, "I summon the Agent of Creation-Venus (1600/0)!"

The field grew bright with sparkling lights as a woman with long blonde hair, a golden dress, and her hands open appeared on the field.

"I hope you don't think you are going to attack my Black Luster Soldier with that." Tyler said.

"No, Tyler," Ben replied, "That's not my intention at all."

Suddenly, Ben closed his eyes as an aura of light appeared around him. The aura fired off three beams of light that formed into three orbs on the field surrounding The Agent of Creation in a triangle.

Ben1400 Tyler1000

"By paying 500 of my Life Points for each, I can summon up to three Mystical Shine Balls (500/500) from my deck or hand to the field due to my Agent's effect." Ben explained, "Now to finish you off, Tyler."

"Good luck," Tyler replied, "Swarming the field won't win you this duel!"

"Actually it will," Ben retorted, "I set one card face down and end my turn."

"You are a weird duelist, Ben," Tyler said. "I draw!"

"Divine energy, purest light, show yourself!" Ben shouted, "I activate my trap card, Solar Ray!"

Venus began to radiate golden light as the three orbs were joined together through lines of white light completing the pyramidal shape.

"What is that?" Tyler questioned.

"This trap card deals 600 points of Direct Damage to my opponent for every Light type monster on my side of the field." Ben explained. "I count four, so that means you take 2400 points of damage!"

The golden agent aimed her hands out as a pyramid shaped beam of light hit Tyler, scorching his flesh.

Ben1400 Tyler0

"The Divine Light has graced you," Ben said, "Be grateful that your punishment wasn't worse."

"The winner is, Ben, from Obelisk Blue!" The judge declared.

Ben walked out of the arena appearing to be calm and collected as he made his way back to the balcony where Ryan was.

"Nice match, Ben." Ryan said still in his almost stoic manner.

"Thank you," Ben replied, "I felt something special in that duel with my deck. I can't explain it, but it was a sort of connection that I haven't felt before."

"The philosopher Plato once said that…" Ryan said when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Oooh, speldid duel, Benjamin!" Shibai said as he ran up to Ben with his arms open.

As Shibai went to embrace him, Ben, simply put one arm out forcefully and shoved back Shibai.

"Oooh, my heart is forever broken," Shibai said allowing for his dramatic side to take over, "How will I ever continue to live on knowing that I am not loved."

Shibai dipped himself backwards with the top of his palm covering his forehead as his group of fans caught him. Suddenly, he stood up and smiled at Ben and Ryan.

"Well I'm sure I'll find a way," Shibai said, "Maybe that Tyler boy will give me the attention that I desire."

Ryan and Ben both looked over quizzically at Shibai's comment.

"Well regardless, my duel is next." He said, "I do hope you'll enjoy it."

With a wink Shibai descended down the stairs to Arena 3.

"Would Allen Mebane please report to Arena 3 for your match." The announcer over the loudspeaker said.

A boy wearing all black standing about six feet tall, walked towards the dueling arena.

"Oh boy," Ben said, "Dark and somber versus Bright and happy; this should be interesting."

"I feel bad for that boy," Ryan responded, "Shibai takes pride in getting his type to crack."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: High Fashion Zombies**

Shibai entered the area gracefully and elegantly as his opponent stood there looking on in complete disgust.

"Well, It's a please to finally meet you, Allen, was it?" Shibai questioned

"Yes, Allen." The boy answered.

"Well Allen, as much as I dig the whole dark and brooding look you've got going for you, I think you could use a makeover," Shibai said. "So let us get this duel going!"

Shibai flipped his hair back over his shoulder as Allen continued to stare at this duelist in front of him.

"He may be annoying, but he is in Obelisk Blue for a reason." Allen thought to himself, "Don't underestimate him."

"Duel Start!" the judge shouted.

Allen simply activated his Duel Disk, sticking his arm out in front of him. Shibai, on the other hand, twirled in place and gracefully aimed his arm down as if striking a pose as his Duel Disk powered up.

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"I draw!" Allen somberly said. "I set one monster in defense mode, and two cards face down."

A horizontal face-down card appeared on Allen's side of the field as well as two vertical face-down cards behind it.

"Oh, keeping me in suspense, eh?" Shibai questioned.

"It's called a strategy." Allen retorted, "I end my turn."

"Yay! Now it's my turn. I draw!" Shibai shouted out, "I summon my two Fashion models, the Gemini Elves (1900/900)"

Two elves, one with blonde hair and pale skin, wearing a blue skirt and top appeared next to a taller elf with tan skin and red hair, wearing a purple skirt and top. The two elves stood back to back and struck a pose.

"Gemini Elf will attack!" Shibai said

The two elves then held hands and spun together towards Allen's face-down monster. When they reached it, they kicked it with their high heel boots that also matched their outfits. A small turtle with a pyramid on its back appeared on the field. The attack shattered the turtle leaving behind a pile of sand.

"You've destroyed my Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400), which means that I can summon a Zombie type monster from my deck with a defense of 2000 or less," Allen explained, "So I summon Ryu Kokki (2400/2000) to the field in attack mode!"

The sand began to mutate and formed into a large beast that was made out of skulls. The zombie appeared on the field with a roar. Its red eyes glowed at the sight of another monster.

"Oooh," Shibai replied seeing the beast, "Your monsters are so ugly, please leave them face down next time!"

"Shut up and duel," Allen said becoming annoyed.

"I love it when they get rough," Shibai said "I set two cards face down and I end my turn."

Two face-down cards appeared behind the Gemini Elves.

"I draw, and I summon Regenerating Mummy(1800/1500)!" Allen shouted.

A coffin appeared, and from it rose a mummy that was missing its legs.

"Well that's just silly," Shibai stated, "How is he supposed to wear pants or shoes with no legs?

Allen looked at him as if almost asking "Are you for real?" Brushing off Shibai's comment, Allen continued on with his move.

"Ryu Kokki will attack you Gemini Elves!" Allen ordered.

The large bone zombie roared as it fired a beam of darkness from its mouth. The two elves screamed holding their hands over their faces as Shibai intervened.

"I think my Elves are missing something," Shibai said. "I got it! Makeover time! Activate trap, Magical Hats!"

Three large hats appeared on the field and concealed the two elves.

"This card makes me choose two non-monster cards and hide them under two hats while my elves are concealed under the third. Now, if you want to get to them you'll have to pick one of my three hats.

"I choose the hat on the left!" Allen shouted.

The beam slammed into the hat and a green Spell card was revealed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you picked the wrong hat!" Shibai said.

"Well I end my turn, then." Allen replied.

"Very well!" Shibai said.

The hats vanished and the two elves reappeared on the field once again striking a pose.

"I draw, and I summon my jewelry model to the stage, Maha Vailo (1550/1400)!" Shibai said

A blue cloaked magician with golden rods coming off of its head piece; each ornamented with crystals, appeared on the field.

"Isn't he just gorgeous?!" Shibai asked.

"You are really annoying, do you know that?" Allen replied.

"Ohhh no!!" Shibai shouted. "I can't live knowing that you think poorly of me. Well if I can't make you love me, I'll have to just destroy you!"

"Finally, Shibai is going to get serious." Ryan said.

"You want serious, then here it comes," Shibai said, "I play the Spell card, Black Pendant!"

A dark purple pendant appeared upon Maha Vailo's neck and it began to glow with purple energy.

"This beautiful gem powers my Maha Vailo's attack up by 500!" Shibai explained, "But since my Maha Vailo gains 500 more attack points for every equipment spell on it, he gains a total of 1000 attack points!"

"He should have just kept his mouth shut," Ben said "Shibai is kicking it up now."

"Yes, but I'm sensing potential in Allen." Ryan responded.

"Now, what do you think of my beautiful jewelry model?" Shibai asked.

Allen just stared at Shibai in major disgust.

"Well, fine, don't answer!" Shibai shouted. "Maha Vailo's attack is 2550, so he will attack your Ryu Kokki!"

The magician stood up and aimed its hands out at the bone zombie. From his hands purple light soared and right before it impacted with the zombie, a white spirit appeared on the field and possessed Maha Vailo.

"What have you done to my poor Maha Vailo!?" Shibai shouted

"I activated my trap; Dark Spirit of the Silent," Allen explained, "This card negates the attack of one of your monsters and then forces another of your monsters to attack in its place!"

Suddenly the attack vanished and the Gemini Elves spun and kicked at Ryu Kokki. Their impact simply bounced off of Ryu Kokki's bone shell and the large zombie fired a beam of black energy that headed straight towards the Elves.

"Since your Gemini Elves attack was weaker, My Ryu Kokki counter attacks!" Allen stated.

The two elves held each other tightly as the beam impacted with them. Smoke rose up from the field and all that was left was a pile of bones. Then Ryu Kokki began to glow and the bones floated over to it and became a part of him.

"My Ryu Kokki is a bone collector," Allen said, "Every time it destroys a monster, that monster's remains become a part of my zombie!"

"Well that's pleasing," Shibai said sarcastically as he made a discomforting face. "I suppose I end my turn, then."

"I draw, I tribute my Ryu Kokki and my Regenerating Mummy for Despair from the Dark (2800/3000)!" Allen shouted.

The two monsters vanished from the field and suddenly behind Allen a large shadow creature appeared. Its hands reached out on each side of Allen and were a dark purple. Ominously, it moaned like it was hungry for a soul.

"Now, I activate my Spell card, Book of Life!" Allen said, "This card allows for me to revive one zombie monster, and I choose Ryu Kokki!"

A Green book with Egyptian writings on it appeared on the field. Suddenly, the book began to glow and it burst into smoke revealing Ryu Kokki.

"Now I play the Spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Black Pendant!" Allen ordered.

A small tornado kicked up on the field and began to head toward Shibai's Maha Vailo.

"Not so fast," Shibai said, "I activate my trap card, Fiend's Hand Mirror!"

A small hand mirror with a green demon on it appeared on the field in front of Maha Vailo. When the tornado hit the mirror it shattered and the tornado began to head toward Allen's side of the field.

"This card switches the target of a spell card that specifically designates one of my Spell cards!" Shibai explained, "So say goodbye to your other face down card!"

The tornado blew past Allen's monsters and slammed into his face down card, shattering it instantly. Shibai smiled and winked at Allen after his trap was destroyed.

"You may have destroyed my face down card, but now, you have nothing to stop my attack!" Allen shouted. "Despair from the Dark, attack Maha Vailo!"

The large creature laughed deviously in a deep tone as its hands reached out and grabbed the Maha Vailo and pulled him closer. Then the shadow creature opened its mouth and devoured the Maha Vailo whole.

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The stomach of the shadow creature began to glow and a dark aura surrounded Allen.

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"The effect of my Black Pendant activates!" Shibai said, "When that card is sent to the graveyard my opponent loses 500 of their life points!"

"Well my attacks aren't done yet," Allen commented, "Ryu Kokki attack him directly!"

The large bone zombie opened its mouth and fired a dark beam of energy at Shibai.

"Oh no, this Ogre is going to ruin my Versace button down silk shirt!" Shibai shouted as he braced himself.

The large beam hit into Shibai and he fell to one knee. As Shibai looked down he noticed a small tear in his shirt.

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"YOU…TORE…MY…SHIRT!" Shibai said getting red in the face.

"Oh…no." Ryan said as he watched on. "This Allen kid is going to have to step it up now."

"Isn't he winning, though?" Ben asked.

"Not for long he won't be." Ryan replied. "Shibai's true dueling skill comes out if he has his clothes damaged. I've seen it happen once before and his opponent got slaughtered."

"I end my turn." Allen said.

"I draw!" Shibai shouted. "I play the Spell card, Premature Burial on my Maha Vailo!"

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A decrepit Maha Vailo came out of the ground, its skin green and rotten.

"Now, I chain the Quick-play Spell card, Buy one get two free!!" Shibai shouted.

A cash register appeared on the field, and it scanned Maha Vailo. The register opened and out popped two more Gemini Elves.

"When I pay Life points due to a Spell card's effect and the payment deals to me more damage then half of my total life points, I can activate this card," Shibai explained, "This card allows for me to Special Summon two Normal monsters from my deck to the field!"

"Woah!" Ben exclaimed, "That's a good card."

"I told you," Ryan said, "He's in Obelisk Blue for a reason."

"I'm not even close to done yet, you fashion ruiner!" Shibai shouted, "Now I play the Spell card, Coins from Heaven which lets both of us draw till our hands contain 6 cards."

Sparkling lights fell upon both duelists as they replenished their hands.

"It's over for you!" Shibai shouted, "I play the Ritual Spell card, Fashion Wardrobe!"

Three racks of clothes appeared on the field, one in front of each monster.

"This card forces me to tribute three monsters that stars add up to 12 no more, no less," Shibai explained.

The Maha Vailo and the four Gemini Elves each began to put on clothes from the racks. Suddenly, the monsters began to look at each other and rip at each others clothes since they were jealous of the other monsters. A giant smoke cloud emerged from the fighting monsters and then a large explosion came from the cloud. When the cloud settled a beautiful woman with long blonde hair appeared on the field. She wore a gold studded bikini top and a long white dress with a slit up the side. Then on her feet were white shoes with golden accent lines. The final touch was the golden necklace and rings that were making her hands and neck radiate.

"Meet my trump monster, Fashion Diva-Vilia (3400/3100)!" Shibai shouted as he bowed and waved to his fans that were cheering in the crowd.

"No way!" Ben exclaimed. "That monster is huge!"

Ryan looked on with shock in his eyes as did the rest of the crowd.

"Now, I will show you why you shouldn't mess with me!" Shibai shouted. "Fashion Diva-Vilia, attack his Despair from the Dark!"

The model strutted towards the large shadow and then turned her back to it. Then she whipped her head around and blew a kiss at the shadow creature. The violet colored pair of lips hit the large demon and it screeched and vanished in an explosion.

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"Now for her second effect," Shibai exclaimed. "When my fashion diva destroys a monster that monster's attack is deducted from my opponent's life points!"

The diva then giggled as she blew another kiss at Allen. It hit him and knocked him back a few steps as he cringed.

"That one was from me, Allen." Shibai said with a wink.

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"He really did turn it around." Ben said.

"The thing is he has five of that same shirt in his closet." Ryan said.

"I suppose it was just the point of it." Ben said.

"Yeah…" Ryan replied not fully understanding Shibai's reasoning.

"You're done, Allen!" Shibai shouted. "You are a fashion victim! Ha, ha, ha!"

"It's far from over, you fool." Allen stated. "I draw, and I tribute my Ryu Kokki for Vampire Lord!"

The bone zombie disappeared and in its place a large black coffin stood. Suddenly the coffin exploded revealing a black clothed, pale skinned, Vampire with light blue hair.

"He is…GORGEOUS!" Shibai said enamored by the Vampire Lord's good looks.

"Oh, no." Allen replied.

"He falls in love with Duel Monsters too!?" Ben asked Ryan.

"He falls in love with anything that he sees as attractive." Ryan stated, "I remember one time he fell I love with a tree. Long story."

"I bet." Ben said, as he tried to wash the horrible visualization from his head.

"Don't get too attached, you freak!" Allen said, "Now I play my Field Spell card, Mystic Plasma Zone!"

The sky over the dueling field grew black and lightning struck the field.

"This card increases the attack of all Dark monsters on the field by 500 and lowers their defenses by 400." Allen explained. "Now I remove my Vampire Lord from play to Special Summon MY trump monster, Vampire-Genesis (3000/2100)!"

The Vampire Lord vanished from the field, and a large purple, muscular vampire with dark blue bat wings appeared on the field with a loud roar.

"Eww." Shibai said.

"With Mystic Plasma Zone on the field, My Vampire-Genesis' attack is increased to 3500!" Allen explained. "Now for his effect; I can discard a zombie from my hand and special summon a Zombie monster from my deck with a level that is lower then the discarded monster."

"Uh oh." Shibai said.

"I discard Dark Dust Spirit from my hand to Special summon Vampire Lady (1550/1550)!" Allen exclaimed

A Large zombie spirit appeared on the field and exploded into piles of sand as a female Vampire took his place. She has light blue hair and wore a long gown.

"Oh, so pretty." Shibai said as he stared on in awe.

"Now, Vampire-Genesis, attack his Fashion Diva!" Allen ordered.

The large Vampire howled and two dark hands burst out of the ground near the Fashion Diva. She screamed as the hands grabbed her ankles and dragged her under the ground.

"No, you're ruining her outfit!" Shibai shouted.

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"Now, Vampire Lady, attack him directly!" Allen commanded.

The Vampire Lady strutted towards Shibai and he was fixed on her gaze. Then she tipped his head to the side and bit his neck. Shibai seemed to be in complete ecstasy when she bit him.

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Shibai stared on as the holograms vanished and he realized that he lost.

"You…beat…me." Shibai said.

"You are a total fool, but I respect your dueling skill." Allen said.

"I'm…" Shibai said. "IN LOVE!"

Shibai ran towards Allen with his arms open.

"Allen, you are the first person to ever beat me in a duel, but I know that the Vampire Lady's attack was you simply showing your love for me! Let us never be separated my dark aficionado!" Shibai called out.

As he almost touched him, Allen put one arm out and checked Shibai back.

"Allen, is the winner!" the judge shouted.

Allen walked off of the field and the door closed behind him.

"Shibai, from Obelisk Blue, please leave the field." The judge said.

"I know that we are separated by this metal barrier but my love still breaks through, darling!" Shibai said as he clawed at the door.

"Please leave the arena." The judge said as he picked up Shibai and carried him off of the field.

"Wow." Ben said. "Shibai has found a new love interest."

"Maybe Allen should have thrown the duel when he had the chance." Ryan stated. "Allen is never going to be able to shake Shibai off now."

Off in the corner three duelists, dressed in Obelisk Blue outfits, sat as they appeared to be up to something evil.

"I'm going after Ryan, you go after Ben." One boy with black hair said.

"Alright, I've got Ben covered," The boy with platinum blonde hair replied.

"If this goes according to plan, we are going to completely take over this school." A pale girl with blonde hair and black streaks in it said. "Get ready, duelists, The Silhouettes are coming for you."

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: The Creation of a New Evil**

"Alright, let phase one begin." The girl said.

"Alright, I'm up." The boy with the black hair said.

"Would Sid Gupta please report to Arena 4" the announcer said.

A shorter tan skinned boy with spiky black hair walked towards the field.

A taller boy with black shoulder length hair walked towards the field wearing an Obelisk Blue outfit.

"Do you think he'll beat this kid?" the platinum blonde boy asked.

"Are you kidding?" the girl replied, "He'll wipe the floor with him. We didn't come this far to be out in phase one."

"Hmm, I haven't seen him before," Ben said commenting on the Obelisk Blue duelist in Arena 4.

"Yes, me neither." Ryan replied. "Maybe he transferred in."

"He'd have to be good to transfer straight into Obelisk Blue, though, right?" Ben questioned.

"He'd have to be very good to transfer straight into Obelisk blue." Ryan answered.

"My name is Sai Shihiro." The boy with black hair said. "Let's make this quick."

"Oh, I'll make it fast!" Sid replied with fire in his voice.

"Duel Start!" the judge shouted.

Both duelists powered up their Duel Disks. Sid powered his up with much more vigor and power, then Sai. Sai seemed bored by the whole thing.

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"I draw, and I summon Spear Dragon (1900/0) in attack mode!" Sid shouted. "Next I set three cards face-down and end my turn!"

A large blue dragon with an even larger spear beak appeared soaring above the field. Three face-down cards appeared behind it.

"That's nice." Sai replied. "I play Pot of Greed!"

A large green pot appeared on the field with a sly grin on its face. Two cards emerged from inside of it.

"Next, I play Heavy Storm!" Sai said.

A giant storm kicked up and destroyed all of Sid's face-down cards.

"Now I Special summon two of my Gilasaurus (1400/400) in attack mode!" Sai shouted.

Two large brown raptors appeared on the field.

"How can you special summon it?" Sid questioned.

"Its effect says that I can special summon it and if you have any monsters in your graveyard you may special summon them, but you don't." Sai explained, "Next I play tribute to the Doomed on your Spear Dragon!"

Sai discarded one card from his hand and mummy wrapping encased the Spear Dragon, and a hand appeared and dragged it under the ground.

"Now to win this." Sai said.

"What is he talking about, Ryan?" Ben asked as the crowd gasped.

"It can't be." Ryan said staring in awe. "One turn kill."

"I tribute one of my Gilasaurus for Catapult Turtle (1000/2000)!" Sai shouted.

One of the raptors vanished as a large green shelled turtle with a metal catapult on its back appeared on the field.

"Next, I play the Spell card, Premature Burial!" Sai shouted out. "By paying 800 Life Points, I revive the card that I discarded to activate Tribute to the Doomed, Magical Scientist (300/300)!"

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A small scientist with gray hair and a white lab coat appeared on the field.

"Now I activate Magical Scientist's effect." Sai said, "By paying 1000 of my Life Points I can special summon one Fusion Monster that has six stars or less from my fusion deck for one turn."

A large warrior in black and red armor, wielding a flaming sword and a shield with a fire emblem on it appeared on the field.

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"The monster I choose is Dark Flare Knight (2200/800)!" Sai shouted. "Now I tribute my Dark Flare Knight through Catapult Turtle's effect. It will destroy the monster and deal half of its attack points to your Life Points!"

The Knight mounted itself on the Catapult and was fired being turned into a beam of energy that hit Sid square in the chest.

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"Now I use the effect of Magical Scientist again to special summon another Dark Flare Knight!" Sai shouted, "and I tribute it again!"

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Again, a Dark Flare Knight appeared and as soon as it appeared, mounted itself on the back of the Catapult turtle which fired it at Sid directly.

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"Now, for the third time!" Sai shouted, "Dark Flare Knight number three, come forth!"

A third Dark Flare Knight appeared and was used as ammo to damage Sid's life points.

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"Now, I tribute Gilasaurus to deal 700 points of Direct Damage to your Life points!" Sai ordered. "It's over."

The raptor mounted itself upon Catapult turtle and was fired as it headed straight for Sid.

"There's nothing I can do." Sid said with tears filling his eyes.

The impact knocked Sid off of his feet and he didn't bother to get up.

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"Woah, in an impressive move, Sai, from Obelisk Blue wins the match!" the judge declared.

"I can't believe it." Ben said. "I've never seen someone duel like that in my life."

Ryan stared on in awe at what he had just witnessed.

Sai then turned and stared at where Ryan was watching on.

"You're next." Sai said as he pointed up to Ryan.

Sai then silently walked off of the field.

"Was he pointing at you?" Ben asked Ryan.

"Yes, he was." Ryan replied. "But I'm not going to let such a strategy beat me."

Sai walked back over to his group who were now standing at the exit of the arena.

"Nice work, Sai!" the platinum Blonde boy said.

"Thanks, Shiro." Sai replied, "And what do you have to say about that, Syla?"

"Well if you didn't win in that manner, you would have lost." The girl replied. "Good work, but I'm still not impressed."

"You never are." Sai replied.

Back inside the arena was in an uproar at the unbelievable one turn win by Sai.

"I bet he could beat Ryan." One girl said.

"Oh, that Ryan kid doesn't stand a chance anymore." A boy said.

"I've had about enough of this." Ryan said. "I should have left after your match, Ben."

Ryan then walked out of the exit of the Arena and made his way outside.

"Wait, Ryan!" Ben said, but it was too late.

Ryan walked out into the open air and made his way to the Zephyr Fields where he could rest. Something about the Zephyr fields always calmed Ryan and allowed for him to clear his mind.

"He mastered the one turn kill." Ryan thought to himself.

Ryan was lying in the field as he heard the cheering going on from the Arena test matches. The day passed by as Ryan watched the sunset. At about 5 o'clock the cheering stopped and Ryan assumed that the test matches had come to an end. Ryan made his way back to his private dorm which he had won due to his dueling skill, and laid out his deck on his desk.

"If there is a one turn kill user here, and he's out to get me, I better come prepared." Ryan thought. "This deck is going to need a bit of a fix if I plan on taking on the One Turn kill head on."

All night Ryan brooded over his deck. There were knocks at his door, but he ignored them because what he was doing was most likely more important. At around 2 in the morning, Ryan had called it a night and went to sleep. The next morning, Ryan woke up and made his way to the orientation ceremony of the incoming duelists. He walked alone to the Pronouncement Center where the orientation was going on. Every duelist in the school was to be there for orientation even if they weren't new students.

"Welcome, one and all." The principal of the school said, "I would like to congratulate all of the incoming duelists on their successful day yesterday. You all did splendid jobs. According to your performance, you have been placed in a respective dorm. I would like all duelists to note that your placement in dorms does not reflect your person. Ra Yellow is for students who have showed exceptional skill in dueling. Osiris Red students have just as much potential as the Ra Yellow students, and that is why this school exists; to bring out the potential of every duelist here. Even those who are placed in Obelisk Blue must realize that each of them still had potential that is waiting to be unleashed."

The ceremony was underway and each incoming duelist was called to the front of the auditorium and given an ID card, and a HDL, or Handheld Duelist Locator. The HDL is sort of like video messaging e-mails. Each HDL had its own id number and you simply punch it in and a video camera built into it records your message which is then sent to the other duelist. As the duelists approached the principal to accept his ID card and HDL they each seemed so happy. For some this was a way of mastering a game, others saw it as a chance to meet people, and some select few saw it as a chance of escape. Ryan was one of these select few. Little did Ryan know that he would be soon revisiting this dreadful past much sooner then he intended.

"Ryan, I'm here." A boy said as he stood outside.

The boy around the age of 18 stood on the cliff that overlooked the ocean. He was about two inches taller then Ryan and had white hair down to his waist. He wore an Obelisk Blue outfit and had an all black duel disk on his arm. He wore a black button down dress shirt with the first four buttons unbuttoned, revealing three necklaces on his neck each at a different length. His complexion was extremely pale, but he was still muscular compared to Ryan's delicate stature.

"I am here to make you suffer." The boy said, "I won't let you get away this time."

Back inside, Ryan watched as the principal made an announcement.

"I'm feeling like this will be a great year. Due to my enthusiasm I am going to throw a tournament on this island. All students are invited." The principal explained, "Here is how it will work. Tomorrow morning there will be a package at every door of every duelist in the Dueling Academy. Inside this package will be two bands with your names inscribed on them. One will be black while the other will be white. During anytime anywhere on the island you may duel. When you are beaten you must give your opponent, first your white band. If you are beaten you must give your black band to your opponent. Once you collect six white bands and six black bands from twelve different players you advance to the semi-finals. The first eight people to meet me here with six black and six white bands will advance. Osiris Red members; white bands from Ra Yellow members count as two white bands, and black bands from Obelisk Blue members count as two black bands. The same rules apply to Ra Yellow members except only black bands that are from Obelisk Blue members count as two black bands. Obelisk Blue members; all bands count as one band when won from Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue members. Bands won from Osiris Red members are only count as half of a band of the given color. Being the best duelists in the school, from what we know, you should manage fine with this minor handicap. The semi-final rules and prizes will be announced at the semi-finals. If you do not wish to participate in this tournament, you must come to my office and report in. In that case, you must attend all normal classes if you sacrifice the tournament opportunity."

The crowd listened in amazement at this exciting new year that was already underway.

"Again, I congratulate all of our newest students and welcome them to the one and only Dueling Academy" the principal said.

The entire crowd clapped for the new students and everyone began to leave and either take a tour of the island or head back to their respective dorms.

"Hey, there you are." Ben said as he found Ryan.

"Hi Ben." Ryan said.

"I was at your dorm last night but you didn't answer the door." Ben said. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just wasn't feeling very good." Ryan replied.

"Look, don't let that dude get on your nerves, you could wipe the floor with him." Ben said trying to ease any nervousness that Ryan may have had.

"It's not that, Ben." Ryan said. "I just have a feeling that I should be on the lookout for someone or something. I really think there is something in the works that we all don't know about."

"Oh, don't be paranoid." Ben said, "This is the Dueling Academy, we are totally safe here."

"Well I'd really like to believe that, Ben." Ryan said, "I really would."

The two spent the rest of the day simply walking around and enjoying the atmosphere. They had seen some of the duelists from yesterday all suited up in their uniforms. It came to be around 6 o'clock and most of the duelists went to their respective dorm's dining hall for dinner. Off standing in the Zephyr fields, the white haired boy stood with is arms crossed as a random Osiris Red duelist and his friend who was also from Osiris Red crossed his path.

"What is he doing standing here all alone?" one boy whispered to his friend.

"I don't know" the other replied, "and what's up with that Duel Disk?"

The sun had already been setting behind him and he smirked.

"Duelists, what do you say we have ourselves a duel?" the white haired boy asked.

"You're in Obelisk Blue, neither of us would stand a chance." One boy said.

"How about this, we make it a two on one duel?" the white haired boy said.

"Are you sure, dude?" one boy said.

"Yes, I'm definitely sure." The white haired boy replied.

"What is your name?" one boy asked.

"My name is...Rehto." he replied.

"Rehto, I'm Silvus, and this is Takin." The boy replied.

One boy stood about three inches shorter then Rehto and the other stood about one inch shorter then Rehto. Silvus had dirty blonde hair to his shoulders and Takin had spiky black hair. Silvus seemed to be the negotiator while Takin appeared to be the muscle.

"Then let us begin!" Rehto said. "You both may have the first move."

Rehto4000 Silvus4000 Takin4000

"I'll start!" Silvus said, "I summon Mad Dog of Darkness in attack mode!"

A large growling and drooling beast appeared on the field. It had a large hump on its back like a dog that was possessed by darkness.

"I end my turn," Silvus said.

"I draw!" Takin said. "I summon Neo the Magic Swordsman in attack mode!"

A blonde haired swordsman appeared on the field wielding a large blade, the tip of which was glowing with magical energy.

"I set one card, face down and I end my turn!" Takin said.

A face-down card appeared on the field behind Neo the Magic Swordsman.

"I am afraid that you both are going to lose." Rehto said.

Both boys looked at each other, swallowed hard and returned their quizzical gaze to Rehto.

"I play the Spell card, The Cheerful Coffin!" Rehto shouted.

Three ghosts appeared on the field, one seemed to be a man with armor and holding a sword, a woman with a long red dress on, and a little girl who had a pink nightgown on and carried a bear all appeared on the field and then were sealed in coffins.

"When this card is activated, I can discard up to three monsters from my hand to the graveyard." Rehto explained, "I discarded Spiritual Warrior, Spiritual Damsel, and Spiritual Child!"

"Since I discarded these three cards at the same time, I can activate my Quick-play Spell card from my hand, Crypt of Illusion!" Rehto shouted. "This card makes me pay half of my Life Points as well as discard half of the cards in my deck to activate it!"

Rehto2000 Silvus4000 Takin4000

Rehto silently took the top half of his deck and discarded it.

"What are you talking about?" Silvus asked, "I've never even heard of that card before."

"Well you'll see!" Rehto said.

The field in front of the boys began to spin as they were encased in a black box. Inside the box the screams of the two boys could be heard. They screamed for help, for an escape, for light. Suddenly, a dark spirit with black tattered robes and a large scythe floated over the two boys.

"What is that thing?!" Silvus shouted.

"Oh, my god, help me!" Takin shouted.

The reaper howled at the boys in a tone so eerie that would scare any normal human. Rehto simply watched on in awe of his perfect combo. Next, spirits encased the top of the crypt that held the two boys and their screams were muffled. Eventually the screams halted and the three monsters that were discarded appeared. The Spiritual Warrior was holding a large spear, the Spiritual Damsel was holding a large sword, and the Spiritual child was holding a large axe. The three all at once, as well as the Reaper with the scythe, attacked the crypt with their weapons. The crypt then shattered and the monsters vanished as the boys stared at Rehto with sweat pouring down their faces and a dazed look in their eyes. Suddenly, both boys collapsed to the ground.

Rehto2000 Silvus0 Takin0

"Two more bodies to add to my total," Rehto said to himself laughing, "and the fun is just beginning."

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: The Past is Present**

_Ryan woke up in the middle of the night. He was in his old house. He heard the alarm in his house going off and his mom burst into his room._

"_Ryan, take your sister and lock the door, I think someone broke into the house." She said. _

"_Wait, stay here!" Ryan shouted out. _

"_No, I have to see if your father is alright!" she replied. _

_Ryan took his little sister's hand and shut his bedroom door. She was only four years old and she looked up at him with complete innocence in her eyes. _

"_Brother," she said, "are we going to die?"_

"_No, of course not, silly." Ryan replied. "Here, stay on my bed and get under the covers. Whatever you do, don't move!" _

"_Okay, brother," she said as she held on to her teddy bear tightly._

_Ryan went down stairs and saw his mother cradling his father in her arms. From the darkness in the house he could see a shining liquid all over the floor. It must have been blood. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared behind his mother and slit her throat with a large butcher knife. As she dropped to the ground her eyes fell upon Ryan. A gasping "run" emerged from what was left of her vocal chords. The man dressed in all black turned and looked at Ryan. Ryan tried to run up the stairs but the killer grabbed a hold of him and threw him down them. When Ryan came to, he immediately ran up his stairs and into his room, but his sister wasn't there. He began to sweat, his heartbeat racing, and he looked in her room. There she was under her covers as if she thought she was perfectly hidden. Ryan went to walk into her room and to his right, the killer grabbed him. They both were struggling to overpower the other, but the killer had won and again knocked Ryan down the stairs. Ryan didn't lose consciousness and could only sit there as he saw the killer enter his sister's room and slam the door shut. Blood curdling cries could be heard from his little sister as only God knows what had happened to her. The door to his little sister's room opened and the killer emerged with his knife dripping of fresh blood. The killer made his way down the stairs and grabbed Ryan by the hair. _

"_Know that I could kill you right now," he said, "But I'll let you suffer and then I'll come back for you."_

_The killer handed the knife to Ryan and let go of him. _

"_I'll be seeing you." The killer said as he walked out of Ryan's front door and vanished._

Ryan snapped out of his nightmare in a cold sweat with tears streaming down his face. The sun was already rising outside and while people were already out and about, Ryan could barely move.

"How?" he said hysterically, "How could I have let him do that to my family?"

Ryan got himself ready and opened his front door to see a box with two ribbons inside each with his name on them. He had almost forgotten that the tournament began today. He picked up the box and tied his two ribbons around his right arm. Then he placed the box on his desk and went outside locking the door behind him. When Ryan stepped outside he saw that there were many people in an uproar at the Pronouncement Center. Suddenly, the principal of the school appeared and held his hands up high as if to quiet down the masses.

"Everyone please listen," he said, "There was an incident last night and two boys were found in the Zephyr fields completely unconscious. They are in a comatose state as of now, but we have the medical team on top of it. It is assumed that the two boys were dueling and due to a malfunction in the Duel Disks were exposed to a burst of light that knocked both of them out. Tests are being undergone as to whether it was a case of epilepsy or a neuron malfunction in their brains. Due to this malfunction we ask that you all turn in your Duel Disks and we will distribute new Duel Disks to everyone here."

Slowly, one by one, each person turned in their Duel Disk and was handed a brand new one, though they looked the same as their original counterparts.

"I assure you that these Duel Disks are 100 safe and have been expected by our team of scientists on the island." The principal said. "Without further adieu I would like to officially kick of the Duelist Academy's First Annual Tournament!"

The crowd cheered and everyone began to split up to different places on the island. Ryan looked out at the excited and young duelists who were attending this Academy to have fun.

"I know that he's here." Ryan said to himself, "and I won't let him do this to me again."

The duelists all over the island began their duels. A private chopper appeared hovering over the island. It was all white and had one large Ying-Yang painted on each side of it. The copter landed on the Dueling Academy's private helipad and a tall boy stepped out. He wore white shoes, white dress pants, and a white button down shirt with a light purple tie. Over his outfit he wore a white trench coat that was fitted to his slim figure. On his pale skinned hands, he wore white gloves. His hair was light blonde and flowed all the way down to his waist. It was wispy and his bangs were angled in around his face which was calm and collected. He carried a silver briefcase that also had a Ying-Yang emblem on it.

The boy walked away from his helicopter and made his way to the main office where the principal was located. As he walked past duelists he definitely turned heads. The students didn't know who he was and, naturally, one million different questions began to run through their heads. The boy finally made his way to the office of the principal. He knocked three times and the principal said, "Come in." The boy opened the door and walked up to the principal's desk.

"I'm Gabriel Soah." The boy said.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabriel." The principal said. "The students weren't expecting the best duelists in the world to be coming to this island and acting as Eliminators in my tournament."

Gabriel silently nodded gracefully recognizing the principal's statement.

"Well I'm sure you will truly be a great test for my students," the principal said.

"I hope to be, sir." Gabriel replied. "Do you mind if I leave some of my belongings here?"

"Oh by all means, go right ahead." The principal replied, "After today's dueling I will escort you to your private quarters."

"Thank you, sir." Gabriel replied.

Gabriel then placed his briefcase on the principal's desk and popped it open. Inside was a stunning white Duel Disk with golden accents on it. Inside the Duel Disk a deck was already situated. Gabriel pulled out the Duel Disk and fastened it on his arm. He then silently closed and fastened the briefcase.

"If you don't mind, I'll be leaving this here." Gabriel said referring to his briefcase.

"Oh that's fine." The principal said. "Care for a beverage or snack before you start dueling? Our food establishment is absolutely wonderful."

"Thank you for the offer, sir," Gabriel said, "but I would like to get an early start on today if you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind at all," the principal replied, "you are doing me a favor by coming here."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Gabriel replied, "Now If you'll excuse me."

"Oh, surely," the principal responded, "Good luck."

Gabriel turned his back and walked out of the office.

"Such a polite gentleman." The principal said to himself.

Gabriel made his way around the island and was receiving glances from almost every duelist that he passed. He expected this since he was the only one not in uniform. A boy dressed in an Osiris Red uniform was walking around the island. It was Sid and he was still down from his duel earlier that week. He walked by Gabriel who struck his interest.

"This dude looks like a total wimp." Sid said to himself, "I bet I can beat him and raise my popularity here."

Gabriel turned around as if he had read Sid's mind.

"Who are you?" Gabriel asked Sid.

"My name is Sid," Sid replied, "What's it to you?"

"My name is Gabriel and I am an official Eliminator hired by Principal Hiroshito," he explained.

"Woah, beating an eliminator could really raise my rank!" Sid thought to himself as he shouted out, "Let's Duel, pal!"

Gabriel activated his radiant Duel Disk and when it opened the golden accents on it reflected the sunlight and cast a shimmering glow from the Duel Disk. Sid looked on with eagerness in his eyes and he started up his Duel Disk.

Gabriel4000 Sid4000

"I will make the first move since I was challenged." Gabriel said. "I set two cards face down in my spell and trap zone and I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist (200/1300) in attack mode!"

A small man appeared on the field cloaked in ancient Japanese robes. A large ribbon with ancient writings on it was hanging over his neck and he wore a golden head-dress. In his hand he held a large red staff that accented his cloak perfectly. He had his eyes closed yet he chanted in an unrecognizable tongue. Two face down cards appeared behind him.

"I end my turn." Gabriel stated.

"I draw," Sid shouted. "I have the perfect combo in my hand that will beat you in this turn!"

"Not unless I defeat you first," Gabriel said, "I activate my trap card, Wall of Revealing Light!"

A large translucent dome of radiating light appeared covering the field.

Gabriel1000 Sid4000

"My continuous trap allows for me to pay Life Points in increments of 1000. Monsters on the field that have as many attack points as Life Points that I've paid or less are unable to attack." Gabriel explained, "now to finish you off."

"What are you talking about?" Sid replied, "My combo blows away your Wall of Revealing Light!"

"I activate my second trap, Last Turn!" Gabriel shouted.

The field that the two duelists were standing on turned black.

"We are now dueling in the state of perfect harmony, the Light above, and the Darkness below." Gabriel said, "Last Turn can only be activated on my opponent's turn, when I have 1000 Life Points or less. I select one monster on the field and everything else on the field and in both our hands are sent to the graveyard."

The brightness of the Wall of Revealing light shattered and the darkness of the field began to pulsate.

"Now you must Special Summon one monster from your deck and have it attack my Jowgen the Spiritualist. The duelist with their monster left standing after that battle is declared the winner." Gabriel finished.

"Heh, your Jowgen has 200 attack points!" Sid mocked, "I will Special Summon Luster Dragon!"

A large emerald Dragon spirit soared over the field. Suddenly, Jowgen's staff began to radiate and he opened his eyes. Jowgen's eyes were shimmering like that of Sapphire crystals reflected in the sunlight. The spirit of the dragon cried as it vanished from the field.

"What is going on!?" Sid shouted out.

"Jowgen the Spiritualist's special effect doesn't allow for any monsters to be Special Summoned as long as he is on the field." Gabriel explained.

"But that means…" Sid concluded.

"That you have no monster to fight my Jowgen leaving me with the monster on the field at the end of the Battle Phase." Gabriel finished, "which makes me the winner."

The darkness on the field closed in around Sid and fired up into the sky encasing him.

Gabriel1000 Sid0

The dark column dissipated and Sid was on his knees with his head in his hands.

"Why do I never get a turn!!!!!????" Sid shouted.

Gabriel noticed that Sid had two ribbons tied around his wrist and took them both. He then placed them in his coat pocket.

"I'm sorry to have crushed you so quickly, Sid." Gabriel said remorsefully, "I only wish you the best in the future."

Gabriel turned his back to Sid and walked away without saying another word.

On the other end of the island, Ryan had already won two more ribbons from other Obelisk Blue members and had yet to lose one of his. He overlooked the ocean as a black helicopter with red horns on it, a pink helicopter with hearts on it, a blue helicopter with a snowflake on it, and a green helicopter with a rose and thorns on it soared overhead.

"I knew Principal Hiroshito was out to test me." Ryan said to himself, "With the Eliminators' arrival, and the presence of darkness roaming the island, this tournament just got a lot more difficult."

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: Cold as Ice**

"You won't defeat me, face it!" Allen shouted at Shibai.

"But I am willing to fight for our love!" Shibai replied.

The life points stood at 4000 for Allen to 100 for Shibai. Allen had been trouncing Shibai the entire duel and Shibai desperately held on to his last bit of life points. On the field Allen had Vampire Lord, Vampire Lady, Regenerating Mummy, and two face-down traps while Shibai had out a Spirit of the Harp in defense mode and nothing else.

"I draw, and I tribute my Spirit of the Harp for Elegant Starlet (2400/1000)!" Shibai announced.

The Spirit of the Harp vanished and in her place stood a tall damsel who was ornamented with rubies and sapphires. Her milky white skin accented the deep colors of the gems on her body. She began to strut down a runway which appeared beneath her and suddenly she tripped and fell into a hole.

"You rigged my stage!" Shibai shouted at Allen.

"No, I activated my Trap Hole which destroys any summoned monster with an attack of 1000 or more." Allen explained.

"But now I have nothing to defend my Life Points!" Shibai shouted.

"Exactly," Allen replied, "Now, Vampire Lord, finish this freak off!"

The Vampire vanished and immediately appeared behind Shibai. The Vampire then grabbed Shibai and bit his neck.

Allen4000 Shibai0

"And that's that." Allen said. "Now hand over your white ribbon, Shibai."

"Again, you defeat me with a bite. I knew you've always had that lustfulness inside of you, my brooding love!" Shibai enamored.

"Just hand over the ribbon." Allen said becoming annoyed.

"Of course, my love." Shibai replied, "I will hand you not only a ribbon, but a part of me as well!"

"The ribbon is fine enough." Allen said stoically.

Shibai spun at Allen and gracefully placed the ribbon in Allen's hand.

"Now we will never be apar…" Shibai said as he noticed that Allen had already begun to walk away.

"Remember our deal, now you can't bother me for the rest of the preliminary round!" Allen shouted as he walked away from Shibai.

"Now you've given me the drive to make it to the semi-finals so we can be together once again, my love!" Shibai replied.

Ben walked about the island and stumbled upon a cave that he hadn't noticed before. He walked inside it and noticed that it got very cold and icicles hung from the top of the cave. Ben took his time walking so he wouldn't slip on any ice and finally saw some light. He followed it and it led him to a giant domed room. He walked out into it and stepped onto a circular podium. In front of him was a dark pit that had giant icicles protruding from it and on the other side of the stadium was an equivalent podium.

"This looks like a dueling arena." Ben proclaimed.

"Welcome, Benjamin Farrow." A voice said as a shadowy figure emerged from the other side of the stadium.

Ben tried to focus on the figure but couldn't until the figure stepped into the light. He then saw a boy who was probably a year younger then he was. The boy had straight black hair that was parted on the left and his bangs covered his right eye. His other eye was a sapphire blue and his skin was a milky white. He wore a deep navy turtle neck that had black arm cuffs. He wore tight black, leather pants and large black boots. On his neck he had a black choker and his ears were pierced four times in each.

"My name is Hyouga Retsu." The boy said, "And I am one of the tournaments eliminators."

"This tournament has eliminators?" Ben questioned.

"Yes, Principal Hiroshito has hired the best duelists in the world to act as Eliminators. I am the champion of Greenland." Hyouga explained. "Since you have stepped into my lair, you are now my prey."

"Well then let's not keep this duel any longer." Ben said as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Very well." Hyouga answered, "Duel Start!"

Hyouga4000 Ben4000

"You may have the first move." Hyouga said.

"Fine, I summon Hysteric Angel (1800/500) in attack mode!" Ben shouted.

A Blue haired librarian with white angel wings appeared on the field with a shy wink.

"Now I set one card face-down and end my turn." Ben said.

One card appeared face-down behind the angel.

"I see it clearly now." Hyouga said. "You are Personality Type E, a rarity today, with a weakness to all Personality Types L through O."

"What are you talking about?" Ben questioned.

"If you don't recognize me, I suppose you wouldn't know." Hyouga said, "I am the champion in Greenland not only in dueling, but by being able to assess my opponent's moves based on their personality. I have studied many different ways to manipulate someone's mind, and I am known to apply my knowledge of mind manipulation to every duel that I partake in."

"A mind manipulator." Ben said.

"That's right, my friend." Hyouga said, "Now let me show you how I work, I summon Arctic Crane (1300/1000) in attack mode!"

A large crystallized crane appeared on the field. The light from the room reflected off of the crane's body and cast beams of light about the room.

"Arctic Crane, attack!" Hyouga shouted.

"But your crane's attack is lower then my angel's!" Ben shouted out.

"My arctic Crane carries with it a Special Effect, when it is the only card on my side of the field and it battles a Light Attribute monster it gains an additional 2000 attack points!" Hyouga explained.

The Crane soared above the angel and flapped beams of light down at it. An arctic frost blew up from the Crane's attack and sent chills down Ben's spine. The Angel cringed as the light beams shattered it.

Hyouga4000 Ben2500

"Oh, did I forget to mention, that my deck especially counters Light Type monsters?" Hyouga said with a laugh, "I just hope for your sake that you don't play a Light deck."

"How does he know what deck I play by one monster that I played." Ben thought to himself. "He really can read me."

"So are you frozen in fear or are you going to make a move?" Hyouga said. "I can't blame you since I'm known to break people quite easily."

"I'm far from done!" Ben said as the assertiveness in his tone decreased. "I set one monster face down in defense mode, and I set a card face down in my spell and trap area ending my turn."

"Let me guess, you set a monster that is either going to destroy my monster or will buy you time until you can work up a strategy to stop my monster. Your face-down cards are both traps, your first was a trap to compliment your monster that you assumed would go to the graveyard, while your second one is a bluff with no real danger tied to it in order to throw me off." Hyouga said.

"I-impossible." Ben thought to himself. "My face down monster is Spirit Reaper, and my Face down traps are Call of the Haunted and Solar Ray. He predicted my moves exactly."

"From the look on your face, I'd say that I'm right." Hyouga said. "Now since my Crane has stopped you from abusing your first trap, I will get rid of this monster. I play the Spell card, Tribute to the Doomed!"

The small spirit Reaper appeared. Mummy wrappings suddenly encased it and a large zombie hand dragged it underneath the ground.

"Of course, just as I expected." Hyouga said. "Not only did I predict your moves, but my deck perfectly counters yours. Isn't that a sad twist of fate?"

Ben began to sweat regardless of the freezing temperature in the room.

"Now, I will continue," Hyouga said, "I tribute my Arctic Crane for Mobius the Frost Monarch (2400/1000)!"

The crane was absorbed into white light and then large icicles slammed into the field. The Icicles formed a large beast with glowing red eyes.

"When my monster is summoned I can destroy up to 2 Spell or Trap cards on the field, so just in case you had any hope in your two trap cards, let me shatter it!" Hyouga said.

The large beast summoned two large icicles which impaled the two face down cards and shattered them.

"Now, Ben, time for a Direct Attack!" Hyouga shouted.

The large, ice beast held out its hands and a chamber of icicles surrounded Ben who was caught off guard and fell to his knees. Then blue light emanated from the icicles and froze Ben in place. Ben shook from head to toe with a mixture of the temperature and fear disrupting his system.

Hyouga4000 Ben100

"Face it, Ben." Hyouga said, "I've cracked you. You can't even stand up. You haven't damaged my Life Points once, and I am able to predict your moves. You were beaten before this match even began."

Ben stared at the ground unable to believe the ability of Hyouga. Suddenly, Ben remembered something that Hyouga said. _"I have studied many different ways to manipulate someone's mind, and I am known to apply my knowledge of mind manipulation to every duel that I partake in." _Ben rose to his feet with the fear slowly being replaced with warm confidence.

"I'll give you one thing, Hyouga," Ben said. "You do know how to manipulate someone's mind, but I just figured you out."

"Please, don't try to pull that act with me." Hyouga replied, "I'm not about to crack because you are portraying a false sense of bravery."

"This isn't false, Hyouga," Ben answered, "Your deck doesn't counter mine, and the only reason that you knew my set cards were because of these icicles surrounding the arena! You have been using them as mirrors to see my hand!"

Hyouga sneered at Ben's revelation.

"I bet your deck has the ability to counter any attribute and you use that to your advantage when psyching out your opponent." Ben said, "Now it's time for me to turn this around."

"Good Luck." Hyouga replied.

"First for your face down trap that is sure to stop a powerful attack, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" Ben shouted.

A small tornado spun around the field and shattered the face down Mirror Wall.

"Now to end this." Ben said, "I remove Spirit Reaper and Hysteric Angel from my graveyard to Special Summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500)!"

The field radiated with black and white light. The two beams of light wrapped around one another and form them exploded a large soldier encased in golden armor. His aura was glowing with golden light.

"Now I activate my Field card, Luminous Spark!" Ben shouted.

The entire field pulsated with light that even Hyouga couldn't help but squint against.

"This raises my soldier's attack to 3500!" Ben explained. "Go, my envoy, destroy his frost monarch!"

The soldier aimed his sword at the Ice beast and it radiated with white light as he charged straight through the beast and into Hyouga.

Hyouga3400 Ben100

"Clever move, Ben." Hyouga said, "But I'm far from done!"

"No, you are done," Ben replied, "My soldier's effect allows for him to attack two times in the same turn if it destroyed a monster in battle, so here is his second and final attack!"

The large swordsman once again aimed his sword at Hyouga and darted forward, stabbing Hyouga in the stomach. Hyouga fell to the ground in disbelief.

Hyouga0 Ben100

"You came back out of nowhere." Hyouga said. "That's impossible."

"I was onto your tricks from the start." Ben said, "I can manipulate others as well. My shivering and breakdowns were all an act to make you think that you were affecting me."

Hyouga came to his feet.

"I'm impressed, Ben." Hyouga said. "You are deserving of my indigo ribbon which is proof that you have defeated an eliminator. From now on no eliminator may force you to duel them, but you may still accept a duel from an eliminator. In addition, my ribbon counts as two ribbons for all Obelisk Blue Members."

"Thank you, Hyouga." Ben said, in disbelief that Hyouga actually thought that he was outsmarted when in reality Ben was just thinking on his feet.

Ben took the ribbon and headed back out of the cave. Ben had realized that Hyouga wasn't as cruel and calculating in reality, but he had assessed Ben's fears and acted upon them. Hyouga was a great duelist for sure, but Ben knew that if he could make it through Hyouga, then the rest of this tournament would be a breeze. Little did he know that the true challenge awaited him in the shadows.

Night fell upon the first day of the tournament and the duelists had all begun to call it a night. Rehto wandered the darkened Zephyr Fields as a small group of duelists wandered by.

"Hey guys, wait up!" a short duelist with glasses on shouted. He was wearing an Osiris Red uniform and his peers were running from him laughing.

"Do you enjoy being the laughing stock of your clique?" Rehto said cutting in front of the short duelist.

The small boy slammed hard into Rehto who didn't budge. The small boy landed hard on his tail end.

"I-I'm so sorry." The small boy said.

"Duel me." Rehto said. "Pathetic weaklings like you don't deserve to roam this earth."

"I'm not sure who you think you are, but it's rude to call someone whom you don't know a weakling!" the small boy shouted as he came to his feet.

"It's awkward how you are able to stand up to a stranger but unable to stand up to your own friends." Rehto said. "What is your name, little one?"

"My name is Tereya." The boy replied.

"Let us have a duel, Tereya." Rehto said. "This will determine how strong you actually are."

Wind blew through the field as both duelists started up their Duel Disks

Rehto4000 Tereya4000

"I will start this!" Tereya said, "I summon Homunculus the Alchemic Being (1800/1600)!"

A man with leather belts around his arms and legs appeared on the field. Half of his body was flesh toned and half of his body was turning black as if he was transforming into some other being.

"Now I set one card face down, and I end my turn!" Tereya said.

A face-down card appeared behind the morphing being.

"I draw, and I summon Spiritual Warrior (1700/400) in attack mode!" Rehto shouted.

A large warrior whose skin was a pale tone appeared on the field. Around him a purple hazy aura appeared and he wielded a narrow spear.

"This monster has a special ability." Rehto explained, "It allows for me to lower the attack of one monster on the field by 300 points."

The Knight screamed as the purple smoke around him crept towards Tereya's monster. The shadows encased the being as it gasped for breath.

"Now your monster's attack is lowered to 1500." Rehto said, "Spiritual Knight, destroy his Alchemic Being!"

The warrior appeared to not wish to move when suddenly dark purple smoke began to choke him and animated his body. The Warrior speared straight through his opposition.

Rehto4000 Tereya3800

"Next, I will set two cards face down." Rehto said.

Two face down cards appeared behind the Knight who was leaning over his spear which was now inserted in the ground.

Tereya's face had turned white at the animation of Rehto's monsters. They seemed so lifelike and when they attacked, they appeared possessed.

"Your face shows your inner weakness." Rehto said, "Now that I know you are scared, I will allow for my deck to feed off of your most inner fears."

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: Man vs. Machine**

"I-I draw!" Tereya said with his voice slightly cracking, "I play the field Spell card, Forest!"

The ground shook as giant trees emerged from it. While Tereya intended on this making him feel more at home, the fear still overtook him on the inside.

"Now, I summon Vampire Orchis (1700/1000)!" Tereya shouted.

A small tree grew from the earth and suddenly a wicked face appeared on it as its branches turned into snake-like creatures.

"When I normal Summon Vampire Orchis I can Special Summon Des Dendle (300/2000) from my hand!" Tereya shouted.

Suddenly a separate tree grew but it was covered in a toxin that appeared to be mold of some sort.

"Now, I can unite my two monsters through Des Dendle's effect!" Tereya explained. "While Des Dendle is equipped to Vampire Orchis, if Vampire Orchis would be destroyed, Des Dendle is destroyed in its place."

The moldy tree collapsed and the toxins from it enwrapped Vampire Orchis. A wicked laugh could be heard as Vampire Orchis grew and its base was covered in the toxins.

"In addition, thanks to my field card, Vampire Orchis' attack and defense are both increased by 200!" Tereya said. "Now, Vampire Orchis, attack his monster!"

The large tree beast used its branches as whips and began to attack the warrior.

"I activate my trap, Blood of the Past!" Rehto said. "This let's me reuse one effect of a monster on my side of the field. So I choose my Spiritual Warrior!"

The smoke surrounding the warrior encased Vampire Orchis and it choked on the gases.

"Now your monster's attack is lowered to 1600!" Rehto said, "Spiritual Warrior, counter attack!"

The Warrior screamed as it appeared to not wish to attack and suddenly it picked up the spear and impaled the other monster.

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"Since, my Vampire Orchis was equipped with Des Dendle, my Vampire Orchis stays on the field while Des Dendle is discarded." Tereya said. "You are a strange person, but I'll play along. I end my turn."

"Now, I draw!" Rehto said, "I play the Spell card, Impossible Escape!"

The ground trembled around Tereya as black ribbons emerged from the ground and tied themselves around Tereya's arms and legs.

"W-what is this?!" Tereya said in a panic.

"As long as this card is on the field my opponent, you, can't activate any trap cards for this turn!" Rehto explained. "Now I summon Spiritual Damsel (1500/0) in attack mode!"

The winds in the field blew as another ghost appeared. This one was a woman with long blonde hair and a red gown on. Two tears fell from her eyes as she drew out a narrow blade. She also had a purple fog surrounding her.

"When I normal summon Spiritual Damsel I can special Summon Spiritual Child (1300/2000) from my hand or deck!" Rehto explained.

Suddenly, a small giggle could be heard and a tiny girl with a pink nightgown appeared. In one hand she was holding a teddy bear and in the other a large axe. She never looked up so Tereya couldn't see into her eyes, but the same purple fog surrounded her.

"This duel is over, child." Rehto said, "I activate the Spell Card, Thunder Crash!"

Lightning began to pour from the sky and three separate bolts slammed into each of Rehto's monsters. The three monsters simply looked up into the sky, but three screams of intense pain could be heard.

"When I activate this card I destroy all of my monsters on my side of the field and for each monster I inflict 300 points of Direct Damage to you!" Rehto explained.

One final lightning bolt slammed down into Tereya who was now crying in fear.

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"Since all three of my monsters went to the graveyard at the same time, I can activate my other face down card, Crypt of Illusion!" Rehto shouted. "Now for the Life Payment to support the fear which you are about to experience."

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Rehto discarded half of his deck as Tereya just stared on in a state of complete fear and shock as the dark box encased him.

"May your fears become reality!" Rehto said as he closed his eyes.

A reaper holding a scythe appeared floating over the crypt and sealed the lid on top. The three Spiritual monsters each appeared with a flash of lightning in front of the crypt and the quartet of monsters simultaneously attacked the crypt. Tereya could be heard screaming as if the very life was being sucked out of him. The crypt then disappeared and Tereya was standing in shock.

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Tereya stumbled towards Rehto and said. "Y-you a-are…" Suddenly he fell to the ground and one lens of his glasses cracked. It began to rain as the small boy's figure was left to wither. Rehto simply laughed to himself and walked off into the never-ending darkness.

Tyler had been wandering in the night as well. After only collecting one ribbon from a fellow Osiris Red member he was feeling the need to find an opponent. Instead of wandering in the darkest parts of the island he stayed closer to the main dueling area where it was well lit and more comfortable. He noticed that he was one of the few duelists still roaming the island in search of a duel. He noticed that a little child was sitting on a bench with a duel disk on her arm. The child had shaggy blonde hair that came to her neck and wore a tan loose t-shirt with a baggy white shirt underneath it. She also wore very baggy, yet short, dark brown shorts as well as baggy white leg warmers that came to her knees and a dark brown pair of shoes which matched her dark brown choker around her neck.

"Heh, what is a little girl doing here? She must be one of the teacher's kids." Tyler thought to himself. "This is perfect. I hate it when little kids play this game not knowing what they are getting into!"

Tyler approached the little girl who was sitting on the bench. She turned to him and stared into his eyes. Tyler was taken aback by not only the depth of her stare but also by the fact that one of her eyes was purple while the other was amber.

"You wish to duel me and I accept." The little girl said, "My name is Kikai Retsu and I am one of the island's eliminators."

"You are an eliminator!" Tyler shouted out.

"Yes, and you are going to lose this duel." Kikai replied apathetically.

Tyler examined the girl in shock at the fact that she could possibly be an eliminator.

"Let this duel initiate." Kikai said.

Tyler pushed his arm forward as the Duel Disk turned on while Kikai simply faced Tyler as she got off of the bench and put her arm out showing no emotion whatsoever.

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"I will begin." Kikai said, "I summon Mechanical Chaser (1850/800) in attack mode."

A large, mechanical, green, ball with six mechanical arms, each with a different tool ranging from spear to scythe, appeared on the field.

"Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn." Kikai said.

Two vertical face-down cards appeared behind the machine.

"I draw and I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode!" Tyler shouted.

A small blonde haired warrior with standard metal armor, wielding a sword appeared on the field.

"When I normal summon Marauding Captain, I can Special summon one monster of four stars or less from my hand, so I special summon Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000)!" Tyler explained.

A large gorilla that had glowing red eyes appeared on the field stomping in place.

"Now, Berserk Gorilla, attack her Mechanical Chaser!" Tyler ordered.

The large beast stampeded towards Kikai's monster.

"Typical human." Kikai said, "I activate my trap card, Rare Metalmorph."

The Gorilla charged at the machine and it slammed its fist into it. Suddenly the machine was encased in silver armor and its attack increased to 2350. The large gorilla was blasted back and the platinum encased machine impaled the Gorilla with one of its six arms which held a large sword.

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"I set one card face down and end my turn." Tyler said in shock as the child's display of dueling skill.

"I draw, and I summon Heavy Mech Support platform (500/500) in attack mode." Kikai said.

A small mecha plane soared from behind Kikai and landed on the field.

"Now, I activate my Spell card, Machine Duplication." Kikai said.

Suddenly, the one mecha split into three.

"This card allows for me to Special Summon two more machine monsters from my deck of the same name as a machine monster on my side of the field with 500 attack points or less." Kikai said. "Now, I play Triple Union, which allows all three machines to unite with my Mechanical Chaser."

The three small mecha crafts broke apart and became one. They formed a larger mecha craft which the mechanical chaser sat inside. Six arms were needed to pilot this craft since there were buttons and levers all over it.

"All of my mech platforms are union monsters that may only be equipped to machine type monsters. When they are each one increases my Machine monster's attack by 500." Kikai explained, "So now Mechanical Chaser's attack is increased to 3850."

Tyler was taken back by Kikai's dueling expertise. It's as if each of her moves was calculated out before she even started the duel.

"Now, Mechanical Chaser, attack his Marauding Captain." Kikai ordered.

The Large machine fired three lasers from the craft that exploded on the field causing a smoke cloud.

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"This duel is over." Kikai said. "Nothing will stop me now."

"You duel with no passion." Tyler said, "The weakness to a mechanical mentality is that you simply depend on your deck and strategy. Part of dueling is dueling with passion. This is how I will surpass you!"

"Stop talking, human." Kikai said. "You all remove any doubt of your stupidity when you open your mouths."

"Let me show you how it's done, I normal summon another Marauding Captain (1200/400) and Special Summon Kinetic Soldier (1350/1800)!" Tyler said.

Another small warrior appeared on the field and next to him a warrior that resembled a machine appeared on the field in blue armor.

"Now, I activate my Continuous Trap card, DNA Surgery!" Tyler shouted. "This card allows for me to change the type of all monsters on the field! I choose Warrior!"

The mechanical chaser's body began to morph, its mechanical arms turned into human arms, and its mechanical face turned into a mask covering a man's face.

"Since your Rare Metalmorph and Mech platforms can only be equipped to Machine type monsters they are all destroyed!" Tyler shouted. "In addition, I am going to win this duel right now!"

"Don't talk." Kikai said, "I am far from beaten."

"I activate my Spell card, Premature Burial!" Tyler shouted. "By Paying 800 of my Life Points, I can revive one monster from my graveyard, and I choose, Berserk Gorilla!"

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A gruesome hand appeared from the earth and the large gorilla appeared. Its body suddenly shrank in size and took on a more human form as DNA Surgery took effect.

"Next, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon on your face down card!" Tyler ordered.

The small typhoon shattered the face down trap card which was a set Magic Cylinder

"Now, Kinetic Soldier, attack her Mechanical Chaser!" Tyler commanded. "Kinetic Soldier has a special effect, when it attacks a warrior monster it gains 2000 attack points and since your Mechanical Chaser is now a warrior my Kinetic Soldier's attack is increased to 3350!"

The Soldier raised his fist and slammed it into the ground causing electric sparks to fire towards the Mechanical chaser. Kikai still stared on without showing any emotion as her monster exploded.

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"Now, Berserk Gorilla will attack your Life Points!" Tyler ordered.

The large gorilla charged the small girl and smacked her with its fists.

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"Now, Marauding Captain, finish her off!" Tyler ordered.

The small warrior ran forward and stabbed straight into the small girl's stomach.

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Kikai fell to one knee.

"You truly overpowered me." Kikai said, "I'm…impressed."

"Thank you very much!" Tyler replied.

Kikai came to her feet, walked towards Tyler, and held out a silver ribbon.

"This ribbon is proof that you have defeated me and since you are in Osiris Red it counts as four ribbons. In addition, so long as you remain in this tournament an eliminator may not challenge you to a duel though you may still duel an eliminator if you choose to."

"Four ribbons!" Tyler said in shock. "That's awesome!"

Kikai placed the ribbon in Tyler's hand and simply walked away and sat back down on the bench.

Tyler walked back towards his dorm since he felt he had done more then enough dueling for one day. Little did he know that his night was far from over.

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9: The Truth is Revealed**

Sai, Shiro, and Syla stood together each wiping the sweat from their faces as they faced one duelist. The white haired opponent had a malicious grin on his face as he licked his lips.

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"What is wrong with him!?" Shiro shouted.

"It's like he is insane!" Sai screamed. "How did he counter my first turn kill?"

"We need to do this, guys," Syla replied, "It's three on one, we can beat this creep! We didn't implement this final stage of our plan to lose!"

"Fools, all of you." Rehto responded.

On the field, Sai had nothing, Shiro had Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in defense mode as well as one face down card, Syla had Amazoness Swordswoman and Amazoness Fighter as well as two set cards. Rehto's field contained Reaper of the Cards and three set traps.

"It's my move," Syla shouted, "I will attack your reaper with my Amazoness Swordswoman!"

The muscular amazon jumped forward with her blade aimed right for the reaper.

"May your torture begin early," Rehto said, "I activate Fear's Binding!"

Suddenly, the Amazon shattered and a shadow began to engulf Syla.

"What is going on?!" Syla screamed. "What is he talking about!?"

"Now, this card not only negates your monsters attack and destroys it but lets me summon two more Dark monsters with attacks of 1500 or less to the field!" Rehto explained.

Suddenly, the Spiritual Damsel and Spiritual Child appeared on the field.

"Now, I activate my second trap, Betrayal of Trust!" Rehto shouted. "This card sends all of my monsters on the field to the graveyard and deals 500 points of damage to each of you!"

Three shadow figures appeared behind each of Rehtos' three monsters. Suddenly the three figured each took out a butcher knife and stabbed Rehto's monsters in the back.

"What is he doing?" Sai shouted.

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"Now, I activate my quickplay Spell card, Crypt of Illusion by paying half of my Life Points and discarding half of my deck!" Rehto shouted.

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"Now, feel the fear!" Rehto exclaimed.

"Dude, what is your deal?!" Shiro questioned.

The black box encased the three duelists and the screams could be heard as Rehto grinned maliciously. The four spirits appeared and each attacked the crypt. Suddenly, all three duelists fell to the ground and were bleeding from their heads.

"Blood tastes better in bulk." Rehto said to himself.

"Rehto!" Ryan said as he approached the white haired menace. "I knew that you would be here!"

"Ah, Ryan, it's been awhile." Rehto replied, "Look, three bodies lying in front of you bleeding, does that scene look familiar?"

"You bastard!" Ryan screamed finally losing his cool. "I won't let you do this again."

"Well then let us settle this long past due issue, shall we?" Rehto replied as he started up his Duel Disk.

"Fine by me!" Ryan shouted. "Let's Duel!"

On the other side of the island Ben was wandering around in search of Ryan. While he was walking he ran into Tyler who was on his way back to his dorm.

"Have you seen Ryan DeLaurentis around here?" Ben asked Tyler.

"Actually I haven't seen him anywhere." Tyler replied, "And it seems that nobody else has, either."

"Well thanks anyway." Ben replied.

"Wait!" Tyler said, "Do you need help? I mean two heads are better then one and this island is pretty big."

"Fine you can come." Ben answered.

Back in the Zephyr fields Ryan and Rehto were in the middle of their duel.

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"I activate my face down trap, Call of the Haunted to bring back my discarded Spiritual Warrior!" Rehto shouted.

The warrior reappeared on the field with a somber look on his face.

"No!" Ryan shouted, "That looks just like…"

"Your father?" Rehto answered. "Well just look at that. It's a family reunion."

"How?" Ryan said, "There is no way that you could do that."

"But my powers surpass you, don't you remember?" Rehto said. "Let's make this reunion complete, I summon Spiritual Damsel and Special Summon Spiritual Child!"

The two monsters appeared on the field and Ryan fell to his knees in shock.

"Mom…" he said.

"And your sister too!" Rehto responded. "Sadly enough this reunion will be short for the time being because I am going to kill these monsters just like I did before and I will take you down with them this time."

Ben and Tyler raced throughout the island asking any and every duelist that was still awake if they had seen Ryan. Suddenly, one girl said that she saw him wandering the Zephyr field and he looked a bit out of it so she kept away.

"How could I not have checked there?" Ben said, "The Zephyr Field is Ryan's favorite place to go."

Ben and Tyler raced from the building towards the Zephyr fields.

"Ryan, you are going to die like the rest of your family." Rehto explained.

"I…I…" Ryan stuttered.

Suddenly, Ben and Tyler arrived at the fields.

"Ryan!" Ben shouted, "Are you alright?"

Ryan was on his knees with tears streaming down his face. Ben and Tyler ran up to him as the night winds blew stronger.

"Ryan, what are you doing out here?" Ben asked.

"I…I have to defeat him." Ryan said pointing at Rehto.

"Who are you talking about?" Ben said. "There is nobody there."

Ryan's face went blank as he looked in front of him. Rehto's face was clouded in darkness just like the night that Rehto killed his family.

"Rehto is right there!" Ryan screamed as he grabbed Ben by the face and aimed it towards Rehto's figure.

"Ryan!" Ben said as he held him by the shoulders, "There is nobody there!"

_Ryan lay at the bottom of the stairs as the killer before him came down them with a freshly bloody dagger. He came close to Ryan and Ryan threw himself backwards as the face that he saw before him was a replica of his own face. _

"I…I…remember." Ryan said as Ben and Tyler looked at him in confusion.

_Ryan grabbed the butcher knife from his kitchen drawer and smashed a window triggering an alarm. His father had raced down the stairs and burst into the kitchen._

"_Seki, what are you doing?" his father said. _

"_You must die." Seki said as he drew back his blade and impaled his father._

_Seki's mother then ran into the room and Seki cut her throat from ear to ear. He then made his way upstairs and into his little sister's room. _

"_Brother?" she asked as she looked at him. _

_Seki then killed her quickly with the blade that shimmered with blood. _

Ryan looked forward and saw that Rehto's face now was his own.

"Rehto…" Ryan said. "IT WAS ME!"

Ryan screamed as the realization had kicked in. Ben held Ryan down as Tyler ran to get help from the main office. Ryan's screams trailed off into the night air…

The next morning Ben and Tyler sat in the principal's office.

"A severe personality disorder." Principal Hiroshito said. "His real name wasn't even Ryan DeLaurentis, he took that name after a childhood friend. His real name was Seki Misahiro. Seki was being searched for by the local authorities for some time now. We had no clue of this until just last night. Seki created a name for his darker side named Rehto, which spelled backwards is 'Other.' This dark side of Seki was the side that murdered his family, and it took for someone like you, Ben, to make him realize it."

"But what about the people that he killed?" Tyler said.

"Well actually his victims, Tereya, Silvus, and Takin were simply unconscious." Principal Hiroshito said. "The deck that 'Rehto' thought he was playing wasn't a real deck. Even the cards were figments of Seki's darker persona. In his pocket, Seki carried a blade with him that he killed Sai, Shiro, and Syla with. It was the same blade that he killed his family with as well."

"So how did Tereya, Silvus, and Takin live?" Ben questioned.

"Silvus and Takin simply caught the beginning of Seki's disorder so they weren't killed as Seki's dark half wasn't powerful enough yet. Tereya, on the other hand, realized who his opponent was just as 'Rehto' thought he was defeating him and when Tereya came closer to 'Rehto' he said the name 'Ryan'. Rehto didn't respond well to this and simply knocked Tereya out and ran away. None of the other duelists that were Seki's, or should I say, 'Rehto's', prey actually called out the name 'Ryan'. Ryan was his best and only friend but left the country and abandoned Seki. Seki developed this dark persona to not only help him vent but to also keep him company. That name was the trigger for Rehto to begin to vanish." Principal Hiroshito explained. "Seki has now returned to America and is in a mental institution under constant surveillance. If his mental state becomes more reasonable and controllable, he will be put on trial for all of the murders."

"I can't believe it." Ben said, "Ryan…I mean Seki was such a calm person."

"So he probably would have been fine if Ryan had stayed with him?" Tyler asked.

"Yes, this disorder is a tricky one, but with the team of specialists on the case Seki may have a full recovery." Principal Hiroshito responded. "In any case, you two have nothing to worry about; I assure you that you all are now safe with Seki off of this island."

"Thank you, Principal Hiroshito." Ben and Tyler replied.

The two duelists left the office and walked outside. Suddenly the Principal's voice came on over the loudspeaker.

"Attention all duelists." He said, "The recent events that have occurred at this school are surely tragic. I assure all of you that no further incidents will occur on this island so long as I am in charge. Increased police staff has been added to the island as well as increased surveillance cameras which are being watched by a staff of police officers 24 hours a day and seven days a week. I encourage all students to continue to engage in the tournament and to enjoy themselves. If you need to talk to anyone about the incidents we have a full staff of counselors that can be found on the second floor of the main office building. Once again, thank you all for your constant support for one another during these times, and I ask that you all continue to grow and learn while not forgetting to have fun while on this island. Thank you all."

"It's still a shock." Ben said. "I can't even function."

"Well, Ben, don't let some psycho beat you." Tyler said, "You are here to learn and enjoy yourself. You earned your spot in Obelisk Blue, so don't let Seki's problems jeopardize you."

"You weren't his friend." Ben replied.

"I know I wasn't, but wouldn't the good side of Seki want you to enjoy yourself?" Tyler responded. "He wouldn't want you to mope around and feel sorry for him."

Ben knew that what Tyler was saying was right and that he did have other friends on the island.

"I'm going to rest in my dorm for the rest of the day. These past two days have been a bit overwhelming." Ben said.

"Alright, well don't be hard on yourself." Tyler said as he left Ben alone and walked to the main courtyard area. "Ben, you don't know the half of it," Tyler thought to himself while a slight wind blew through the deserted Zephyr Fields.

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10: Divine Intervention**

Ben wandered the hills of the Academy the next day in solitude as he was still affected by the incident with Seki. Ben couldn't believe that he had let his guard down so easily to a psychopath.

"Never again." Ben said to himself as he looked out into the currents.

On the other side of the island, Tyler was singing a different tune.

"One more ribbon to go and I'm in the semi-finals!" Tyler thought cheerfully as he hummed to himself.

Kerai stepped onto the island as she saw Tyler immediately.

"Perfect." She said to herself.

Ben heard a song that sounded like something that you would hear in a church before mass started. Deep tones of singing monks with organs in the background chimed from his right. He turned and saw a relatively large church that he hadn't noticed before. Well since Ben wasn't really the religious type it was of no surprise to him that he hadn't noticed it. The tall church was all white brick and had two large doors that were open. Ben walked cautiously yet rapidly towards the church since the combination of its beauty and the music coming from inside intrigued him.

When Ben reached the front doors he saw a woman who was standing on the altar kneeling in front of a large cross that was suspended form the ceiling. She raised her head and came to her feet. As she turned around Ben was taken back by her beauty. Her deep crimson hair that was tied back in a bun and fierce yellow eyes made her appear very exotic, while her tan skin and tight fitting clothes added to her unique beauty. She wore a deep crimson jacket that was open with a white halter top that had a golden cross on the chest. Her skirt was also a crimson color but was outlined in the same golden color that resided on the cross. Over her fierce yellow eyes, thin rectangular glasses appeared. This gave her a sophisticated and seductive look.

"Come forth and repent." She said. "Lust is one of the Seven Deadly Sins."

Ben stopped gazing at this beautiful female and noticed the Duel Disk that was on her arm.

"So you are an eliminator." Ben said.

"I may be, but I'll let you know that I haven't had to force a single duelist to duel me." She replied.

"Well even if you didn't, I am not going to show any weakness. I already beat an eliminator and I don't have to duel another if I don't want to." Ben said.

Ben began to turn his back to her and leave as she said, "Seki would be disappointed."

Ben's face reddened with rage as he quickly turned around.

"Don't even go there." He replied.

"Wrath." She said, "Another of the seven deadly sins."

"I see your game." Ben said, "But it's not going to work."

"All I ask is that you repent." She said, "My deck will pass judgment on your very soul."

Ben suddenly remembered, _"My deck will pass judgment upon your very soul, I draw one card." Ryan said._

That single remark, while it probably wasn't intended got Ben even madder on the inside.

"I bet you never even were his friend." The woman said, "You were just envious of his skills and felt that some of his dueling expertise would rub off on you if you put up with him long enough. Envy."

"If you weren't a woman, I would…" Ben said as he caught himself letting her get the best of him.

"You Sloth." She said, "You wanted to have to do no work to attain a high dueling status by letting your 'friend' do it for you. Pathetic."

"Watch your tongue." Ben snapped back.

"Repent and duel me." She said, "Prove to me that you aren't a poser who gets lucky."

Ben quickly walked towards her and started up his Duel Disk.

"When I beat you, I'll have enough ribbons to get into the Semi-Finals." Ben said, "Don't mistake this duel for anything but that."

"Oh, I won't, my child." The woman said. "My name is Tenrai Kihaku."

The woman folded her arms into a cross as she started up her duel disk. Both duelists faced one another on the altar in front of the stained glass window.

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"I will begin." Tenrai said. "I summon, Bio Mage (1150/1000) in attack mode."

A small man appeared on the field. Large silver wings with neon orange light emanating from them emerged from his back. In his hands he held a small metal cross and his chants echoed those of the monks.

"I now set one card face down and end my turn." Tenrai said.

One vertical face-down card appeared behind the small mage.

"I draw, and I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode!" Ben shouted.

A small oni monster appeared on the field. Large drums were all around her waist and she winked at the mage on the field.

"Now, Thunder Nyan Nyan will attack your Mage!" Ben ordered.

"I activate my trap, Kneel at the Altar!" Tenrai said calmly.

The Thunder Nyan Nyan suddenly fell to her knees and cupped her hands in prayer.

"This continuous trap card forces all of my opponent's monsters into defense mode permanently. As a requirement I must pay 500 Life Points during each of my turns to keep this card active." Tenrai explained.

"I will set one card face down and end my turn." Ben said.

One vertical card appeared face-down behind his solemn monster.

"I will now draw and the effect of my trap card activates." Tenrai said.

Tenrai fell to her knees in prayer as white light radiated from her body. She cringed at the energy being taken from her.

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Tenrai came to her feet as she opened her fierce eyes once again and continued her turn.

"I now activate my Spell card, Fall from Grace!" Tenrai shouted. "This card forces you to summon all monsters in your hand to the field that can be normal summoned!"

Ben's hand began to glow as two angels with blue skirts and a long blue blouses on, and one Angel with a long golden dress and blonde hair appeared.

"Two Hysteric Fairies (1800/500) and My Agent of Creation-Venus (1600/0) are all summoned." Ben said.

"And now may they repent!" Tenrai said as he trap card began to glow.

The three monsters all fell to their knees and joined the Thunder Nyan Nyan in prayer.

"Next, I summon Asura Priest (1700/1200) in attack mode!" Tenrai shouted.

A blue priest with a silver robe appeared on the field.

"Now, I will use Asura Priest's special effect to attack all of your monsters at once!" Tenrai commanded.

In front of the priest four crosses appeared. The crosses began to glow and four burning crosses appeared over Ben's monsters.

"The trial is over, your monsters are condemned!" Tenrai shouted.

Suddenly, the four monsters all wept tears of blood as they shattered from the field.

"Next, Bio-Mage will attack!" Tenrai said.

The small mage's cross radiated as he opened his wings and orange beams of light slammed into Ben.

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"I end my turn, and since my Asura Priest was a spirit monster he returns to my hand." Tenrai explained.

The blue priest vanished from the field silently.

"I draw, and I set a monster in defense mode." Ben said with a smirk.

"I draw!" Tenrai said, "And I atone for the cost of my trap!"

Tenrai braced herself as the light energy was taken from her.

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"Now I play the Spell, Polymerization, which allows for me to fuse together the Forgiving Maiden (850/2000) and the Marie the Fallen One (1700/1200) in my hand to form my divine Saint Joan (2800/2000)!" Tenrai said as she looked into the sky.

A dark angel with black skin and wings dressed in a light pink nightgown appeared on the field next to a weeping maiden who knelt in prayer. The fallen angel looked at the Forgiving Maiden and began to glow in white light. The Maiden then vanished and her light energy fused with the Fallen Angel. Marie then took to the skies as the white light caressed her and she began to lose her darkness as she descended to the field as a woman with orange hair and silver armor wielding a sword that was in the shape of a cross. Light from the heavens poured upon her as she opened her eyes to reveal golden orbs of light.

"My Saint Joan will be the final test in this duel." Tenrai said. "I now Summon Asura Priest back to the field!"

The blue priest returned to the field and looked on at Ben with mercy in his eyes.

"Now, My Saint Joan will attack your face-down monster!" Tenrai said.

Large white wings exploded from the Saint's back as she flew through the sky and soared down as she stabbed through Ben's monster. A small marshmallow creature appeared on the field. The creature separated and then reformed as a determined look came over him.

"You attacked my Marshmallow (300/500)" Ben explained. "Too bad for you that this card can't be destroyed in battle and when it is flipped face up by battle my opponent receives 1000 points of damage!"

The tiny marshmallow began to glow in white light as three balls of energy slammed into Tenrai's chest.

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"Clever, Ben." Tenrai said. "It's too bad for you that you will never get past my monsters. I end my turn."

The Asura Priest slowly vanished from the field once more.

"I draw." Ben said. "Tenrai, it is time for **your** fall from grace!"

"Don't be foolish." Tenrai replied.

"I activate my Spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon!" Ben shouted.

The small typhoon spiraled towards Tenrai's trap card and shattered it on contact.

"Next, I play the Spell card, Tribute to the Doomed by discarding Seraph of Sacrifice (1200/1800) to the graveyard!" Ben said.

Mummy wrappings encased the Saint and a large hand form the Earth crept up and pulled her underneath.

"How dare you use such blasphemous cards!" Tenrai shouted.

"Due to the effect of my Seraph of Sacrifice, when it is discarded from my hand it is immediately Special Summoned to the field!" Ben explained.

An angel with black wings and armor appeared on the field holding a silver blade.

"Next, I tribute my Marshmallow and my Seraph of Sacrifice to summon, Guardian Angel Joan (2800/2000)!" Ben shouted.

The spirit of the Saint that was destroyed emerged from the earth and appeared on Ben's side of the field. She had a glowing halo of light and a golden gown with shimmering angelic wings. Tenrai fell to her knees at the glory of this monster as tears streamed down her face.

"Now, I will prove to you that my soul is Pure with this, Soul of Purity and Light (2000/1800)!" Ben yelled. "By removing two Light monsters from my Graveyard, my Soul shall be cleansed!"

The two Hysteric Fairies appeared on the field and flew into an opening in the sky that was glowing with white light. In their places a light figure of a woman that was almost transparent appeared. She wore a loose dress that swayed in the sky as she hummed a calming melody.

"This duel is over for you, with the unclean soul!" Ben said. "Guardian Angel Joan, attack her Bio-Mage!"

The Light Angel flapped her golden wings as a wind of shimmering light slammed into the mage. He immediately vanished from the field and light encased Ben.

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"When my Guardian Angel Joan destroys a monster I gain Life Points equal to that monster's attack points!" Ben said, "Now, Soul of Purity and Light, cleanse her!"

The divine woman soared over to behind Tenrai who was still on her knees. The Soul then hugged her from behind and put her head over Tenrai's shoulder. Suddenly, the Soul began to radiate and it absorbed white Light from Tenrai's body.

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The field cleared as Tenrai knelt in awe at the sight that had just occurred before her. She finally came to her feet and she walked over to Ben.

"You truly are marvelous, not only in your dueling skill but in your appreciation for this game and the divinity that lies within your deck." Tenrai said. "I am giving you my ribbon as a sign of the power that truly lies within the forces of God."

Tenrai handed Ben a golden ribbon that had a white cross on it.

"Ben, go far and reach goals in the name of the divine." Tenrai said.

"Thank you, Tenrai." Ben said, "I'm far from religious, but I feel the spirit of my deck surging through me every time that I duel."

Ben then walked off of the altar as the light from outside shone through the stained glass window and silhouetted Tenrai's figure as she watched him leave.

"While this duel was initially unpleasing, I have learned more about the connection that I share with my deck." Ben said to himself, "I have proven to myself why I belong here."

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11: The Duelist of Nature**

Tyler was walking around the Pronouncement Center and was caught off guard by the sudden uproar of the school.

"Could you believe it!?" One of the Osiris Red members said to another.

"That kid was amazing." The other replied, "It was like he was dueling on a totally different wavelength then the other duelists."

"I can't believe they let a transfer student into Obelisk Blue on his first day!" One girl from Obelisk Blue said.

"I know, but he was deserving of the title of Obelisk Blue." Another girl replied. "Plus he was totally cute."

Tyler walked up to the girl from Obelisk blue and asked, "Who is this new duelist?"

"His name was Ryan DeLaurentis," The girl replied, "The kid who Seki was impersonating while he was here."

Tyler's eyes opened wide as he took a few steps back.

"You mean the real Ryan DeLaurentis is here on this island?" Tyler asked.

"That's what I said," The girl answered with a snide tone to her voice. "What's it to you?

Tyler simply turned around and ran away from the large crowd.

"He was the one who abandoned Seki and drove him mad," Tyler said to himself, "I'll be the one to deal with him!"

Tyler made his way into the forest region of the island. Beautiful Evergreen trees soared up and almost seemed to touch the sky. The whistling of birds and the chirping of insects could be heard throughout. Tyler smelt the fresh scent of natural flowers and springs. He suddenly saw a clearing in the middle of the forest. There he saw a duelist wearing an Obelisk Blue Uniform with shorter blonde hair with light blonde streaks in the front who was sitting Indian style on a rock in the middle of a shallow, natural pond. All around the duelist wild flowers were growing and the Sunlight was right on top of the duelist as if the heavens were listening to him.

"I'm looking for a duelist named Ryan DeLaurentis!" Tyler shouted out, "Have you seen him?"

The duelist opened his silvery blue eyes and stood up. He was a few inches shorter then Tyler with a very slim build.

"It looks like you've found him." The duelist replied.

Ben had been wandering the Pronouncement Hall area while explaining the incident with Seki to Shibai.

"I knew that Seki wasn't my cousin." Shibai said dramatically while whimpering and blowing his nose into his violet handkerchief, "He played the personality well but I know that my cousin had a better hair style then that imposter. Being the kind cousin that I am, I didn't dare to mention it to him in case he was just having a bad hair day."

Ben was not surprised by Shibai's response.

"It would figure that he would notice something like that." Ben thought to himself.

"But from what I hear my real cousin has just transferred to the island and has been immediately transferred into Obelisk Blue." Shibai said.

"He was immediately transferred into Obelisk Blue!?" Ben questioned, "He must be an amazing duelist."

"He's the best that I know of." Shibai said, "He thinks lowly of human beings and is known to everyone as the Duelist of Nature, now."

Tyler started up his duel disk with vigor and stared at Ryan who was silently standing on the rock.

"You abandoned Seki and drove him mad because of it!" Tyler shouted, "What kind of friend does something like that?"

"What I did to Seki was anything but abandonment." Ryan replied, "All my life I was in search of the truth. In my studies I came along the path of meditation. I told Seki that if he wanted to he could come with me on my quest for the truth where I was going to meditate until I found the answers that I was seeking. Seki was a tough person with no real depth. I'm sure you didn't see that side of him while he was here, but he declined by offer to go to India and said that if I left him he would make me regret it."

"I don't believe you," Tyler replied, "Seki wasn't that kind of person."

"And I suppose you would know seeing as you only saw the twisted and psychologically distressed side of him." Ryan snapped back.

"Duel me right now!" Tyler shouted. "When I defeat the new transfer student who is placed in Obelisk Blue I'll knock you out of your spot and take it over! That will teach you a lesson!"

"You humans never change." Ryan said, "Constantly on the hunt while never taking the time to appreciate the natural wonders that are your sources of life."

"Shut up and duel!" Tyler said, "If I wanted a course on Environmental Awareness, I would have asked for one!"

"Very well." Ryan said as he started up his duel disk with an elegant sway of his arm. "Let's duel."

Back by the Pronouncement Center Shibai was still discussing his real cousin with Ben.

"Ryan was always the calm and deep one. Seki's deck that he ran while he was under the guise of Ryan was an exact replica of Ryan's deck before he moved." Shibai said, "Ryan tried to be positive but to him, a world where murder was so prevalent, it was impossible to live in complete happiness."

"So he was a pacifist?" Ben asked.

"More then that." Shibai answered, "Ryan began traveling around the world when he was 15. He meditated in the deserts of the Sahara, in the jungles of Africa, on the mountains of China, and on the island of Hawaii. When he returned he adopted a great respect for the nature, in general. He took on a pacifist attitude while not having any respect for humans. He felt that humans are simply the slayers of the world and he is waiting for the day that the water which gave them life will make them feel its power."

Tyler4000 Ryan4000

"I will begin." Ryan said, "I set three cards face down and one monster in defense mode."

Three, face-down, vertical cards appeared behind one face-down horizontal card.

"What an opening play." Tyler said sarcastically. "Not much of an attacker I see."

"My defenses will prove to be the source of your defeat, trust me." Ryan replied.

"Yea, we'll see." Tyler answered, "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!"

A large warrior encased in platinum steel armor appeared on the field with a metallic shield in one hand.

"Next, I play the field spell card, Gaia Power!" Tyler shouted.

A large tree burst up from the ground. And it began to radiate with white light.

"This card powers up all Earth monsters by 500 for attack while lowering their defenses by 400. So my Gearfired's attack increases to 2300!" Tyler explained, "Now, Gearfried the Iron Knight, attack his monster!"

"I activate my trap card, Windstorm of Etaqua!" Ryan shouted.

Winds appeared from nowhere and blew the entire field as four birds swooped over the play field. As Tyler covered his face from the wind, Ryan simply closed his eyes and appeared to be absorbing it. Gearfried fell to his knees in guarding position.

"This card switches all face up monsters on my opponent's side of the field that are in attack position to defense position and vice-versa." Ryan explained. "Feel the wrath of the elements, human."

"I set one card face down!" Tyler shouted.

"I activate my second face-down card, Mystical Space Typhoon!" Ryan shouted.

A small typhoon kicked up in the field and headed towards Tyler's face-down card. The typhoon sprayed Tyler as it got closer until it hit the face down card head on.

"You destroyed my Draining Shield!" Tyler said. "I end my turn."

"I didn't know that you would make this duel so easy for me." Ryan said, "I flip summon my Earth Spirit User Aos (500/1500) into attack mode! Thanks to your Gaia power his attack is increased to 1000!"

A small, sprightly boy appeared on the field with dusty brown hair and glasses. He wore a loose brown jacket and held a staff made out of wood. Suddenly he held his staff to the sky and the earth began to rumble. Vines came from the ground and wrapped Gearfried. The warrior was dragged to Ryan's side of the field by the vines and it stood up.

"What did you do?!" Tyler asked in a fit of rage.

"This is the effect of my Aos." Ryan explained, "When it is flip summoned I gain control of one of my opponent's Earth monsters on the field and that monster remains mine so long as my Aos is face up on the field."

"That is dumb luck that you would play an anti-Earth deck!" Tyler shouted.

"Oh, you are misunderstood, my deck counters every element!" Ryan said, "Feel the wrath of nature, I play the Ritual Spell, Prayer of Dryad by discarding Cyber Jar from my hand!"

A small jar of rock appeared on the field. The light from above Ryan shone even more brightly as the laughing pot was absorbed into the sky. Beams of light pierced the trees around the duel and the ground shook as a maiden cloaked in blue robes with golden blonde hair and a red headpiece covered the top of her head. The front of the headpiece was blue and had a golden star on it with a silver gem in the middle that accented the maiden's flowing hair.

"Allow for me to introduce you to my Elemental Master-Dryad (1200/1400)!" Ryan shouted. "This card can make its Attribute Wind, Water, Fire, or Earth. I choose it to be Earth!"

The maiden's star began to glow as her dress turned a deep brown and her hair turned black. Vines appeared on her arms and wild roses bloomed from them.

"Thanks to your Gaia Power, my monster gains 500 attack points making its attack, 1700." Ryan explained. "Go, my Earth elementals, finish him off!"

The small sprite sped through the air and smacked Tyler across the face with his staff.

Tyler3000 Ryan4000

Gearfried charged at Tyler and slashed his chest with the shield.

Tyler700 Ryan4000

The Maiden folded her hands in prayer and vines appeared from underneath Tyler and whipped him viciously causing him to fall to his knees.

Tyler0 Ryan4000

"It's over." Ryan said, "You aren't worthy of the elements."

Ryan then walked off of the stone which he was originally seated upon and appeared to be walking on the water until he reached the land and made his way into the forest. Ben had been running all over the island to find Tyler, but had arrived too late to see Tyler lying on the ground.

"Tyler, are you alright!?" Ben asked.

"I'm fine." Tyler said angrily as he got to his feet.

Ben noticed a shadow walking into the forest.

"Who is that?" Ben asked.

"The Duelist of Nature." Tyler replied.

"It's him!" Ben said. "It's Ryan."

"I know." Tyler said. "Seki didn't do this kid any justice. He's way better then Seki portrayed him to be."

"That's what Shibai said." Ben said. "It looks like this tournament just got some major competition."

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12: The Seduction of the Full Moon**

Night fell over the Dueling Academy as the full moon in the sky was the only light to grace the Graveyard field. Allen sat on a headstone waiting to see if any night time duelists were going to appear. Allen looked up to the full moon and stared at it reflecting not only on his dueling experience thus far, but also his life. Allen sensed someone approaching and stood in position. From the trees a voluptuous woman stepped forth. She wore an olive green mini skirt with a slit up the left side, a black tube top, and had wavy, flowing, black hair. He nails were painted the same color as her skirt and lacy black spike heels adorned her feet. She was sporting a duel disk on her arm and her pouty lips smirked as she saw Allen.

"Hello." She said.

Allen was taken back by this woman's dark beauty but was able to mutter out a "hello" in response.

"My name is Kouin Kusanagi." The woman said, "And I am one of the tournament's eliminators!"

"An eliminator." Allen said to himself.

"I challenge you to a duel." Kouin said, "If you lose I take all of your ribbons, and if I lose, you win my ribbon which counts as three ribbons."

"Three ribbons are all I need to get into the semi-finals." Allen said, "Let's duel."

"Oh, that may be all you'll need, sweetheart, but that's not what you are going to get." Kouin replied, "Duel!"

Kouin stepped into the Graveyard and started up her Duel Disk in the same fashion as Allen, quick and forceful.

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"I will begin." Allen said, "I summon Regenerating Mummy (18000/1500) in attack mode!"

A half developed mummy appeared on the field.

"Now I set one card face down and end my turn." Allen said.

One face down card appeared behind the mummy.

"I will seduce you, my dear." Kouin said, "I summon Crimson Temptress (1700/800) in attack mode!"

A pale skinned woman who was wearing tight black leather pants and a black leather top with long crimson hair appeared on the field. The clothes were fit so tightly it was almost unimaginable that the monster was able to move. In her hand was a whip made out of a green vine and thorns were still present on it.

"I now play the field spell card, Seductive Melody!" Kouin said.

The grass in the graveyard turned into red velvet and a seductive beat began to pound through the area.

"This card allows for me to tribute one monster on my side of the field to take control of one of your monsters for two turns." Kouin said. "I tribute Crimson Temptress to take control of your Regenerating Mummy!"

The temptress strutted over to the mummy and rubbed up against it. The zombie took her hand and the Temptress led it over to Kouin's side of the field. When the monsters got there the Temptress screeched and shattered from the field. The zombie wept in the monsters place and stayed on Kouin's side of the field.

Allen shuddered as he remembered a familiar scene.

"Now, Regnerating Mummy, attack Allen's Life Points!" Kouin ordered.

The half developed mummy soared over the field and mummy wrappings encased Allen.

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"I will seduce you." Kouin said. "I end my turn."

Meanwhile Allen was falling under this beautiful woman's spell. The setting, the music, and Kouin's appearance were all working their magic on Allen.

"Stay focused." Allen said to himself, "You can't let her get the best of you."

"Have I seduced you already?" Kouin said, "Unable to make a move, dear?"

"You, ugly tramp!" a voice screeched. "You are trying to steal my Allen!"

Allen and Kouin both turned and saw a very distraught Shibai watching the duel.

"Oh no." Allen said to himself.

"You are trying to steal my one true love!" Shibai said, "My Allen!"

"Oh, well I was unaware that Allen was…"Kouin said before she was cut off.

"I'm not!" Allen said, "He's just obsessed with me."

"I can't help myself, love." Shibai said, "Love has led me to you and we are destined to be together. You have to win this duel so this skank can leave you alone and we can be together in the semi-finals."

"You mean that you…" Allen said before being cut off.

"Yes, I made it into the semi-finals!" Shibai said cheerfully, "What did you expect me to do when the only way I could be with you again was to get into the semi-finals?"

"Well excuse me, dear, but Allen is already entranced by my seduction." Kouin said. "There's nothing you can do!"

"Well Allen will win and prove his love for me!" Shibai said.

"I may very well throw this duel just so that Shibai doesn't think I love him." Allen thought to himself sarcastically.

"Well let's see if Allen is willing to duel for his love." Kouin said with a giggle.

"Enough!" Allen shouted, "I summon Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400)!"

A large turtle with a pyramid on its back appeared on the field.

"Now I play the Field Spell card, Mystic Plasma Zone!"

The red velvet and the seductive tones ceased and the field was covered with rolling black clouds as lightning hit the field.

"This card increases the attack of all Dark monsters by 500 and lowers their defense by 400." Allen explained. "Now Kouin, feel the power of **my** seduction, the Spell card, Creature Swap!"

The Mummy began to glow with white energy as did the Pyramid Turtle. Suddenly, the two monsters vanished from the field and then reappeared on the opposite of the fields.

"My Regenerating Mummy's attack is increased by Mystic Plasma Zone and it is now 2300." Allen said, "Regenerating Mummy, attack Pyramid Turtle."

The Zombie sent forth its wrappings that encased the Turtle which shattered from the field.

Allen2200 Kouin2900

"Now since I destroyed my Pyramid Turtle, I can Special Summon a Zombie with a Defense of 2000 or less from my deck to the field." Allen said, "I summon Ryu Kokki (2400/2000)!"

The large bone ogre appeared on the field on all fours. Purple smoke came from its nostrils and moans could be heard all over the Graveyard field.

"The effects of my Mystic Plasma Zone powers up my Ryu Kokki by 500 points, making its attack 2900!" Allen shouted, "Ryu Kokki, direct attack!"

The large beast fired a beam of black energy at Kouin and suddenly the Regenerating Mummy appeared in front of Kouin and took the blast as dust and wrappings fell all over the field.

"I activate my trap, Seductive Offerings" Kouin said, "By paying half of my life points I can take control of one of your monsters during the Battle Phase and any overflow damage is dealt to you instead of me!"

Allen1600 Kouin1450

"I end my turn." Allen said.

"You can do it, love!" Shibai shouted from the side of the field.

"We had a deal!" Allen shouted. "You weren't supposed to talk to me till semi-finals."

"But I could let this wench come in and take you from me!" Shibai said.

"I wasn't ever yours to begin with!!!!" Allen shouted.

"Um, can I take my turn?" Kouin asked.

Allen and Shibai both looked at Kouin.

"Gosh, and she's pushy too." Shibai said.

"Go ahead, please!" Allen said as if he was begging. "Please shut him up."

"I play the Spell card, Snatch Steal on your Ryu Kokki!" Kouin said.

The large bone beast was surrounded by crimson light and walked over to Kouin's side of the field.

"Now, it's over Allen." Kouin said, "Shibai, I stole him!"

"You bit…" Shibai said before getting cut off.

"Ryu Kokki, attack!" Kouin said.

The large beast attacked with a black beam of darkness. Suddenly its attack was intercepted by a large tombstone that appeared on the field in front of Allen.

"I activate my trap, Death's Recourse" Allen said, "I can only activate this card when a monster with 2000 attack points or more attacks my Life Points directly and I have no other cards on the field. The attack is negated and the monster is destroyed, then half of its attack points are deducted from your Life Points!"

The large Zombie exploded showering down bones on the field.

Allen1600 Kouin0

"I win." Allen said. "Now give me that ribbon"

"Take that you boy stealer!" Shibai shouted from the side of the field.

Kouin fell to her knees in shock. Allen slowly walked over to her.

"You beat me." Kouin said as she came to one knee and removed a crimson ribbon from her upper thigh. "Take this."

Suddenly, Shibai ripped the ribbon from Kouin's hand and leapt at Allen with his arms open. Allen plainly checked Shibai to the ground and took the ribbon.

"I see!" Shibai said, "You are a rough lover!"

"Thank you, Kouin." Allen said ignoring Shibai, "Your deck is surely powerful."

"Thank you." Kourin said. "A duelist like you will surely go places."

Shibai scoffed at Kourin and followed Allen as he walked away.

"Allen." Kourin said to herself, "Why don't you show your true pain to anyone?"

Allen walked silently out of the graveyard with Shibai following.

"Kouin looked just like her." Allen said to himself. "It couldn't be."

Kouin stood in the abandoned graveyard as the night winds swept through her hair.

"Soon, Allen." Kouin said, "Soon."

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13: Covering my Pain**

Shibai wandered the halls of the dueling Academy by himself. As far back as Shibai could remember it has always been that way.

"_Shibai, dear!" a tall pencil thin woman said, "Me and your father are going out for a banquet, don't wait for us!"_

_The tall, double doors slammed shut as Shibai sat on bedroom floor by himself. Shibai never wanted to be considered a burden to anyone so he always gave off a shy and happy exterior. He made sure his clothes were perfectly matched, bright, and sophisticated. In addition he took great care of his exterior since his interior was sad and full of pain. _

_Shibai attended a private boarding school during the school year in which he had close to no friends. Shibai sat in the back of every class and was always shy refusing to stand up for himself. He would always be tormented by the other boys due to his fashion sense._

"_Hey, fashion freak!" one of the school boys said, "Did ya match your socks with your underwear today?" _

_Shibai blushed in front of the entire class and almost everyone in the class giggled. _

"_Why don't you leave him alone, you reject." A tall, dark haired boy said as he stood up, "I'd dare you to say that to someone who would fight back!"_

"_Chill out, Kiro." The boy replied, "I was just teasin' him."_

"_Well cut it out." Kiro replied, "Shibai is my friend."_

_Shibai's eyes widened as Kiro was the first person to ever consider Shibai to be his friend. _

_Shibai and Kiro became best friends at school and soon became roommates in the school. _

_The night clouds rolled in on a spring night as a storm was brewing. Shibai and Kiro sat on their beds and were laughing about something silly as they often did. The laughter began to calm down and Shibai realized how lucky he was and how he had begun to fall for Kiro. _

"_Kiro." Shibai said as tears began to fill up his eyes._

"_What is it, Shi?" Kiro said. _

"_I just want to thank you so much for being there for me." Shibai replied as the tears began to run down his face. _

"_C'mon, man, don't get all mushy." Kiro said as he hugged Shibai and patted him on the back as a friendly gesture._

_Shibai raised his head and went in for a kiss. Shibai finally got what he had been waiting for, a true love. Or so he thought. _

"_Get off of me!" Kiro said, "I thought you were straight and I fought for you, but you are just some sex driven, homo!"_

"_Ki-Kiro, I didn't mean…" Shibai said as he was cut off with a punch to the face by Kiro. _

_Kiro dragged Shibai out of the dorm by the back of his hair and caused quite a ruckus, which caught the attention of the other boys. All of the bullies came out of their rooms and saw Shibai bleeding from his nose as Kiro had a handful of Shibai's hair. _

"_He tried to kiss me!" Kiro shouted in the hall. _

"_Let's get him!" the other boys said. _

"_Please, put me down!" Shibai begged._

_The bullies and Kiro dragged Shibai outside into the pouring rain that encompassed the school. The violently punched and kicked Shibai until Shibai didn't have enough force left in him to fight back. The boys spat on Shibai and left him in the middle of the field. Shibai's limp body lie on the wet grass as lightning struck overhead. _

_Shibai was hospitalized for three months after the incident. He got close to no visitors outside of his parents when it was convenient for them, of course. Shibai was home schooled by a hired tutor after he was released from the hospital. _

_One Saturday afternoon, Shibai walked into town by himself and saw two people dueling on the street. One of them had a Mystical elf on the field and Shibai was in awe of her elegance and beauty. It was that day that Shibai was inspired to duel._

_One year passed by and Shibai had become one of the best duelists around. His fashion deck was fun to watch in action and got Shibai many girl fans. Shibai had progressed to the final round of one of his local tournaments and was unprepared for his final opponent. _

"_Hey, fashion freak!" a deep voice said. _

_Shibai turned around to see one of the main bullies that tormented him at his boarding school, Futeki._

"_Futeki," Shibai said as tears filled up his eyes. _

"_It looks like you made quite the name for yourself around here," Futeki said, "Let me show you that I can still beat you to the ground." _

_Shibai stood on the stage where the final match was to be held and started up his Duel Disk as his arms shook. _

_Shibai4000 Futeki4000_

"_I'll start us off, "Futeki said, "I summon, Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode!" _

_A muscular warrior appeared on the field in knight's armor. _

"_Since my Marauding Captain was Normal Summoned, I can special summon one four star or less monster from my hand." Futeki explained, "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher (1700/1600) in attack mode."_

_A muscular warrior with a tight, black, outfit on appeared on the field holding a large sword. _

"_Now I play, Tremendous Fire!" Futeki said. _

_Both duelists were surrounded in rings of fire. Shibai's ring burnt much hotter then Futeki's as the audience could tell from Shibai's scream._

_Shibai3000 Futeki3500_

"_I will also set one card face down!" Futeki finished, "Your move, pretty boy."_

_A face down vertical card appeared behind the warriors._

"_I-I d-raw." Shibai said shakily. _

"_What's the matter, Shi?" Futeki said, "We are old buddies, you have nothing to be nervous over. I'd worry more about my monsters beating you down instead of me this time." _

"_I-I can't do this." Shiabi thought to himself. "I haven't moved on yet." _

"_So are you going to make a move, or what?" Futeki questioned. "Or are you too scared to stand up to even my monsters?_

"_He's right." Shibai said, "All my life I have been too scared to make my own path. I was too scared to tell my parents that I wanted them, I was too scared to be open with Kiro about my feelings, and I'm too scared to stand up to Futeki."_

"_Shibai if you don't make a move I will be forced to disqualify you from the tournament." The judge said. _

"_No." Shibai said outloud, "I won't be scared anymore!" _

_The crowd cheered for Shibai as a newfound courage overwhelmed him. _

"_It's time for you to kiss the dirt this time, darling!" Shibai shouted out flamboyantly. _

"_D-darling!?!" Futeki exclaimed, "You little…"  
_

"_I summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode!" Shibai said cutting off Futeki. _

_Two elves with flowing hair appeared on the field. They strutted to Futeki's monsters and greeted them with a wink. _

"_I activate my trap, Bottomless Trap Hole!" Futeki shouted out._

_A large gaping hole appeared underneath the elves and suddenly before they fell the hole was covered with silk cloth._

"_I activate my Spell card, Silk Offering!" Shibai shouted. "This card can only be activated from my hand when I have no spells or traps on the field and my opponent activates a Trap card. It allows for me to pay 2000 Life Points to negate and destroy that trap card!" _

_Shibai1000 Futeki3500_

"_Now I can activate this spell card, Buy one get two free!" Shibai shouted. "This card can only be activated when I pay more then half of my Life Points, I can Special Summon two normal monsters from my deck to the field!" _

_A cash register appeared on the field and it made a ringing noise as the cash register's door opened revealing two more sets of Gemini Elves._

"_Now, it looks like I have the upper hand." Shiabi said with a wink. "Now, it's over, Futeki!" _

"_You still have two monsters to get through, Shibai!" Futeki shouted._

"_Not after I equip my beauties with this, United We Stand!" Shibai shouted. _

_The six Gemini Elves held hands and the middle pair began to radiate in golden light._

"_This card increases my monster's attack by 800 for each monster on the field. This makes my Gemini Elf's attack 4300!" Shibai shouted, "Remember this for the rest of your days, Futeki! Gemini Elves attack!" _

_One pair of elves attacked the Marauding Captain with a kick to the face._

_Shibai1000 Futeki2800_

_The second set of elves strutted up to the Warrior Dai Grepher and slapped him multiple ties in the face shattering him from the field. _

_Shibai1000 Futeki2600_

"_Now, my power up Elves, direct attack!" Shibai ordered._

_The golden elves held hands as they sped up to Futeki at light speed. They jumped into the air and kicked Futeki in th efface. Then they spun around and slapped him multiple times, knocking him to the ground._

_Shibai1000 Futeki0_

"_Well, well, well, look who got smacked to the ground by some girls." Shibai said as he approached Futeki. _

"_The winner is Shibai!" the judge announced as the crowd cheered._

"_Don't ever come near me again." Shiabai said in a threatening tone to Futeki, "Or my ladies may have to give you another smackdown."_

Shibai reached the main room of the Duel Academy and saw it was adorned with banners and a crowd was already seated. It was the stage for the semi-finals. As Shibai entered the doors the crowd cheered for him.

"Welcome, Shibai!" an announcer said, "To the Duel Academy Semi-Finals!"

Shiabi saw Ryan and Ben standing with their arms crossed on opposite ends of the platform.

"I must be the third." Shibai said.

"Shibai. It's been awhile." a voice said.

A boy standing in an Obelisk Blue uniform was in between Ryan and Ben. The boy was tall and had dark hair and tan features.

Shibai's eyes opened with amazement and fear, "K-kiro."

_To be continued…_


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14: Secrets Revealed, the Semi-Finals Begin!**

"It's been awhile, old friend." Kiro said as he lankily approached Shibai.

"Who is that?" Ben asked Shibai.

"N-nobody." Shibai replied as he felt himself about to pass out. He just kept moving forward and took his spot on the stage.

The crowd began cheering again as another duelist entered the main arena. It was none other then the tall and dark Allen. Allen somberly walked to the stage and took his spot as he eyed his competition. Allen was waiting for Shibai to attack him on stage but Shibai seemed to be intensely thinking about something.

Not too long after Allen entered another person's figure came through the doors. This girl was tall, had a very womanly physique and had long black hair flowing down to her waist. She wore the girl's Obelisk Blue uniform and had piercing blue eyes that were the exact color of that uniform.

"I had a feeling we would be seeing her here." Ben said.

"Who is that?" Allen asked.

"That is Serida." Ben replied, "She is the best female duelist in the Academy. She is a ruthless competitor. I pity the person who has to duel her."

Serida brushed by Allen with a malicious grin on her face and took her position on the platform.

Back in the forest area Tyler was wandering around still remembering his duel with Ryan.

"How did he beat me so easily?" Tyler asked himself, "It was like he had some other force on his side."

Tyler wandered back to where their duel had taken place and sat on the ground.

"How did he do it?" Tyler asked.

Suddenly something caught his eye on the rock that Ryan had been standing on when he dueled Tyler. Tyler got up and walked through the water and approached the rock. On the rock was some sort of ancient symbol that was written in a chalky substance.

"What is that?" Tyler asked himself.

Tyler moved his hand forward to touch the symbol, but as he went to, it disappeared from his sight as if it dissolved into the rock.

"Am I seeing things?" Tyler questioned. "That's it! The deck, the way that the environment seemed to move around him, I need to get to the Main Arena! I promise I'll avenge you, Seki!"

Back at the Dueling Stadium, six out of the eight duelists stood on the platform waiting for the rest of their competition to appear. The doors were kicked open as a girl with long blonde hair and wore an Obelisk Blue girl's skirt with a blue bikini top on entered the arena. She was very tan and walked to the stadium with flip flop sandals on her feet. One could tell that this girl enjoyed the beach just by looking at her.

"Hey everyone!" the girl said very cheerily.

The six finalists looked at her with competitive eyes.

"Woah, tough crowd." The girl replied. "Well my name is Lynn for any of you who care."

Lynn then calmly walked to her place on the platform and stood with her hand on her hip.

"Only one more duelist can fill the position of the final eight!" the announcer said over the loudspeaker. "Who will it be?"

Tyler ran as fast as he could across the island until he reached the doors of the Dueling Stadium.

"You finally made it." Tyler said to himself. "It's now or never."

With a deep breath Tyler opened the doors of the stadium and was greeted by cheers of the audience.

"Here he is!" the announcer shouted, "The eighth duelist is here!"

Tyler walked up on the platform as he took in his surrounding competition.

"There he is." Tyler said to himself as he saw Ryan standing on the platform with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

From the ceiling a platform came down and on it was Principal Hiroshito.

"Hello, everyone!" he said, "Please give a round of applause for the top eight duelists at this academy!"

The crowd went wild and Shibai's fan club was waving signs and banners from the bleachers.

"S is for sweet, H is for hot, I is for intelligent, B is for beautiful, A is for awesome, I is for incredible," the fan club cheered, "Goooooo Shibai!!!!"

Shibai didn't even lift his head to his adoring fans as he was overwhelmed by the presence of Kiro.

"Alright, here is how the semi-finals are going to work," Principal Hiroshito explained, "Each of you are standing on a piece of the platform. Underneath each of you is a light. The platform will randomly choose two duelists to duel each other. When the randomizer stops, two duelists' platforms will be lit up. Those two duelists will then duel each other. Simple enough?"

"Well what happens after the top four are determined?" Lynn asked.

"Well that is for me to know and for you to find out." Principal Hiroshito replied as the crowd gave a unanimous "Ooooooh."

Tyler felt the eagerness rising inside of him as the semi-finals got closer.

"On that note, let this semi-finals begin!" Principal Hirshito said, "Randomizer start!"

Two lights randomly shuffled around the platform going underneath each duelist.

"Please be me, Please be me, Please be me!" Lynn pleaded as the lights bean to slow down.

The two lights went slower and slower until one stopped underneath Ryan.

"The first duelist to duel in the semi-finals will be Ryan!" Principal Hiroshito announced.

The crowd cheered for Ryan as he still stood with his arms folded and his eyes closed. The next light began to slow down.

"Let me duel him, please." Tyler said to himself, "I want to show him that he has no right to do what he did."

The light began to slow down and stopped underneath Tyler.

"Yes!" Tyler shouted out.

"The second duelist chosen to duel in the semi-finals will be Tyler!" Principal Hiroshito announced. "I would now ask the other six duelists to please step off of the platform and for Ryan and Tyler to step to opposite ends of the platform."

The six duelists walked off of the platform and stood on the arena floor. Ryan and Tyler walked to their respective ends of the platform and suddenly underneath both of them; the platform began to rise up. Before either of them noticed, they were raised higher then the platform and the field was beneath them. The crowd cheered louder as the excitement in the arena was enormous. The ceiling of the arena then opened up and the sun shone through.

"Duelists, are you ready?" The announcer asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Tyler replied as he started up his duel disk.

Ryan simply opened his eyes and started up his duel disk.

"Let the first match of the semi-finals, begin!"

Ryan4000 Tyler4000

"I know your secret, Ryan!" Tyler shouted, "I saw the writings on the rock!"

"Clever," Ryan replied, "Well I know your secret too; I saw the look on your face."

"I'm going to show you that humans are just as strong as the elements!" Tyler shouted, "This duel is going to be the duel that will wake you up to reality!"

"Well if you are so confident, then please make the first move." Ryan replied.

Tyler looked closely as Ryan sprinkled some sort of powder around himself. Ryan then bowed his head and said something that was inaudible to the audience.

"It's exactly as I expected." Tyler said, "I'll show you how to duel with the soul of a human!"

Ryan raised his head as a beam of sunlight focused on him and the wind suddenly spun around him.

"How does he do that?" Ben asked himself. "It's like he can control the elements."

"I draw," Tyler said, "I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode!"

A small warrior with blonde hair and a suit of metal armor appeared on the field.

"This card allows for me to Special Summon another four star or lower monster when he is normal summoned." Tyler explained, "So now, I summon, D.D. Assailant (1700/1600) in attack mode!"

A woman wrapped in bandages and dark cloth appeared on the field with her face covered and was wielding a massive blade.

"Now I set one card face down, and I end my turn, Alchemist!" Tyler shouted.

"Alchemist?" Ben questioned, "Is Ryan an alchemist?"

"Nice discovery." Ryan replied, "But don't forget, everything that you saw, I wanted you to see."

"But I though alchemists only were concerned with turning base metals into gold and searching for the philosopher's stone?" Ben thought to himself. "How can he manipulate the elements?"

"When I traveled the world, I began to study Hermetic Philosophy." Ryan explained, "The study of this philosophy led me to the study of alchemy and the occult sciences. The reason from me traveling to where I did was because I needed to be in every element in order to gain the respect of the elements."

"What is this dude talking about?" Lynn shouted out. "Is this a duel or a Metaphysics class?"

"After returning from my travels, I have made myself worthy of the elements and have mastered by art." Ryan explained, "Tyler, you made the biggest mistake of your life when you came through those doors. The elements won't allow for you to leave."

"Just make your move!" Tyler shouted. "I'm here for a reason, not just to play around with the elements to make myself look flashy."

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot." Ryan said, "Your connection to Seki."

"What?!" Ben shouted out.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Ryan said, "Tyler and Seki were friends after I had left."

"You knew Seki?" Ben shouted to Tyler.

"We were more then friends!" Tyler shouted, "We were like brothers! I was two years younger then Seki, and I knew he was on the brink of self destruction when Ryan left him alone. He seemed to find solace in dueling, and after his parents were murdered nobody could find him. I applied to the Duelist Academy because I was scared he would come after me next. I never saw Seki until the night he had his breakdown. I didn't tell anyone that I knew him since that wasn't the Seki that I knew. The Seki I knew was calm, caring, and self contained. If it wasn't for Ryan he would still have been that way!"

"So you blame me for Seki's mental instability?" Ryan questioned, "How foolish of you."

"Do you remember the last thing that you said to him when you left?" Tyler asked. "You said that if he didn't come with you he would be as good as dead staying in his home. You told him that the truth wasn't there and that the people around him would only pull him further away from the truth."

"I spoke the truth." Ryan said.

"Those words drove him over the edge!" Tyler said, "Even if he seemed stable, everyday those words tore him apart inside and I was there to see the effects of those words when he fell apart!"

"Seki was a weak soul." Ryan said, "He couldn't handle the truth even if he did find it."

"You cold, bastard." Tyler said, "You have no compassion, even for your own blood!"

"Worrying about Seki would only make me as pathetic of a head case as you are." Ryan said, "That isn't on my list of things to do."

"No, but playing around with potions and dead theories is!" Tyler snapped back.

"Dead theories?" Ryan asked, "You dare to insult the elements in my presence?"

The winds picked up around the arena and clouds rolled through the sky covering the sun.

"You will choke on those words, Tyler." Ryan said, "Now I will show you the true power of my studies, it's my turn!"

_To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15: Fighting the Elements; Ryan vs. Tyler Part 1 **

Ryan4000 Tyler4000

"It's my move!" Ryan shouted, "I summon Homunculus, the Alchemic Being (1800/1600) in attack mode!"

A half flesh toned and half chemically altered being appeared on the field with his body covered with black belts.

"Now I play the spell card, Smashing Ground!" Ryan shouted, "This card destroys the monster on your side of the field with the highest defense!"

The ground on the field trembled and an earthquake began to develop. Homunculus' legs turned into tree trunks as he kept his balance, while the assailant was tossed left and right until it shattered from the field. Suddenly the earthquake subsided and homunculus' legs returned to normal.

"Your humans can't handle the elements, admit it." Ryan said.

"My humans are far from beaten, Ryan." Tyler replied, "Finish your move."

"Then let's see if you can handle a typhoon," Ryan said, "Go Mystical Space Typhoon!"

A small typhoon kicked up on the field and soared at Tyler at incredible speeds.

"I activate my face down card, Scapegoat!" Tyler shouted.

Four small goats of four different colors; magenta, blue, red, and orange, appeared on the field.

"Clever," Ryan replied, "That still won't stop me, homunculus, attack his scapegoat!"

The being jumped into the air and aimed it's hands down at the magenta goat. Then white beams fired from homunculus and shattered the magenta goat on impact.

"Now I set two cards face down and I end my turn!" Ryan declared.

Two face down vertical cards appeared behind homunculus.

"I draw!" Tyler shouted, "I activate my spell card, Premature Burial!"

Ryan4000 Tyler3200

From the field the assailant's hands burst from the ground and it crawled out from the earth. Its skin was pale green and its bandages were beginning to fall off of it.

"Now, I tribute my D.D. Assailant to summon Freed the Matchless General (2300/1700), in attack mode!" Tyler shouted.

The Assailant was enveloped into white light and in its place a tall general with silver armor, long blonde hair, and a long blonde beard and moustache appeared on the field. He was wielding a massive sword in his left hand and stood in glory.

"Freed, attack his Homunculus!" Tyler ordered.

The warrior charged forward with his sword pointed at homunculus.

"I activate my face down card, Book of Moon!" Ryan shouted.

A blue book appeared on the field and opened its pages in front of Freed. Freed began to glow and sliced through the book and impaled homunculus.

"What!?" Ryan shouted in shock.

"My freed is immune to all spell cards that specifically designate it as a target!" Tyler explained, "Say good bye to homunculus!"

Homunculus screamed in a high pitch and shattered from the field.

Ryan3500 Tyler3200

"I end my turn." Tyler said.

"My turn!" Ryan shouted, "I set one monster in defense mode and one card face down."

A horizontal face down card appeared on the field and a vertical face down card appeared behind it.

"I won't let your spirit users beat me this time," Tyler shouted, "I summon Blade Knight (1600/1000) in attack mode!"

A warrior, fully suited in white armor, appeared on the field with a large white blade.

"Your elemental spirit only can control Earth monsters, and since my Blade Knight is light you won't be able to take control of him!" Tyler said, "Now, Freed, attack his face down monster!"

The large warrior, once again, charged forth with his sword drawn.

"I activate my first face down card, switch!" Ryan shouted, "Then I chain to it, Elemental enemy!"

The large swordsman charged at Ryan's face down card and went in for the final strike. Suddenly, the face down card vanished and in its place Blade Knight appeared. The massive warrior slashed the blade knight right in half.

Ryan3500 Tyler2500

"What happened?!" Tyler questioned.

"My card, Elemental enemy allows for me to take control of one of my opponent's monsters that is a different attribute them another of my opponent's monsters on his side of the field. Any battle damage from that monster being in battle during the turn that I control it is dealt to my opponent instead of me." Ryan said.

"But that doesn't explain why my attack went to my Blade Knight!" Tyler demanded.

"That is where my Switch card came into play," Ryan explained, "It lets me designate the effect of a spell, trap, or attack that targets one of the monsters on my side of the field to another legitimate target."

The entire crowd cheered for Ryan's well placed combo.

"This kid is good." Lynn said to Ben.

Ben sighed as it seemed that Ryan was gaining the lead.

"Tyler, you are going to have to do better then that if you want to have any chance of beating me." Ryan said.

"I end my turn." Tyler said solemnly.

"Perfect, now this duel is over!" Ryan shouted, "I flip summon my Spirit User-Aos (500/1500) into attack mode!"

A small, sprightly boy appeared on the field with dusty brown hair and glasses. He wore a loose brown jacket and held a staff made out of wood. Suddenly he held his staff to the sky and the earth began to rumble. Freed looked down as vines burst from the ground. The large warrior began to slash at the ground with his sword but the vines wrapped around it and then around Freed's arms and legs. The vines then dragged Freed to Ryan's side of the field.

"This must be how he beat Tyler last time." Ben said.

"Well at least he can only counter Earth decks." Lynn replied, "I'm safe that way."

"If you think he can only counter Earth decks you really don't belong in the top 8." Serida said, "Haven't you heard of him?"

Lynn scoffed at Serida's comment.

"Well obviously I haven't," Lynn replied, "I like staying out at the beach unlike some pale females."

"Well some pale females didn't let the sun burn up their brain cells," Serida replied, "Ryan is known for his use of elemental spirit cards that can control each of the four main elements, Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth."

"So then Light and Dark decks would do well against him?" Lynn asked.

Ben and Allen both felt extremely relieved at Lynn's revelation.

"Knowing Ryan's skill, he probably has Light and Dark attributes covered as well." Serida replied.

Ben and Allen both felt a knot grow in their stomachs at Serida's counter revelation.

"Well I think we will have to wait and see." Lynn said, "I've got a feeling that Tyler isn't beaten yet."

"Tyler, now I attack two of your scapegoats with my Spirit User Aos and **my** Freed the Matchless General!" Ryan ordered.

The small spirit flew forward and smacked the orange scapegoat with his staff. Freed then followed behind the spirit and impaled the red scapegoat.

"I end my turn by setting one more monster in defense mode and one card face down." Ryan said.

A horizontal face down card appeared on the field with a vertical face down card appearing behind it.

"I draw!" Tyler shouted, "I summon Exiled Force!"

A troop of small warriors with iron helmets on appeared on the field.

"I found out the weakness to your deck, Ryan," Tyler said, "Your Spirit users have to be face up on the field to keep my monsters. If I destroy the Spirit you lose the monster."

Ryan smirked at Tyler's comment.

"Now, I tribute my Exiled Force to destroy your Spirit User Aos!" Tyler shouted.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning shot down from the rolling clouds above and struck the troop of warriors.

"Woah!" Lynn screamed as she covered her eyes. "What was that?"

"I activate my Trap card, Divine Wrath!" Ryan declared, "By discarding one card from my hand I can negate and destroy a monster when it activates an effect."

On the field was a smoldering pile of ashes which were the remains of the Exiled Force. Tyler cringed as he realized he only had a scapegoat keeping himself from a direct attack.

"I set one card, face down." Tyler said, "I end my turn."

"This duel is over, Tyler!" Ryan sneered, "I play the spell card Pot of Greed!"

A large, green pot appeared on the field and two cards appeared from within it.

"Now that I've got a hand, I will have my Spirit User Aos attack your scapegoat!" Ryan shouted.

The small wizard sped forward and swung its staff at the blue scapegoat. Suddenly the goat dissolved into thin air and Freed appeared in its place. The small wizard smacked Freed's armor with no prevail as the massive general speared the small wizard through the chest. The wizard shattered into a pile of brown leaves that fell to the ground and were blown away by the winds.

Ryan1700 Tyler2500

Ryan looked on with a quizzical gaze as Tyler revealed his card.

"I activated my Enemy Controller." Tyler answered. "By tributing one monster on my side of the field I can control one monster on my opponent's side of the field for the rest of the turn. But since your Spirit user is destroyed Freed returns to my possession permanently."

The crowd roared at how Tyler turned the tables.

"I knew he wasn't out yet!" Lynn cheered from the duelists.

"Nice job, Tyler!" Ben shouted.

"That kid isn't half bad." Serida said, "Especially for an Osiris Red student."

"Impressive move, Tyler." Ryan said, "But the elements are only going to be that much more unforgiving now."

"Enough of your elements talk." Tyler retorted, "It's old."

The skies above the dueling arena got darker and the winds sped even faster.

"Clever strategy, Tyler." Serida said, "Very Clever, indeed."

Ben and Lynn slowly turned their heads to face Serida with questioned looks on their faces.

"Am I the only one who sees what Tyler is doing?" Serida said, "He's getting Ryan angry so that he rushes into the moves that he makes. Tyler doesn't actually believe a word of what he is saying, but he knows it is getting under Ryan's skin."

"Oooh." Ben and Lynn both said in unison.

"I set two cards face down, and I end my turn!" Ryan said as he placed the remainder of his hand onto the field.

Two vertical face down cards appeared behind his face down monster.

"I activate Freed the Matchless General's effect!" Tyler shouted, "Instead of drawing I can search my deck for a level 4 or less Warrior monster and put it into my hand!"

Tyler fanned his deck out and picked a card from it moving the card to his hand.

"Now I summon Command Knight (1200/1900) in attack mode!" Tyler shouted.

A warrior with a crimson suit of armor appeared on the field. She began to glow with white light and Freed fell to his knees. The Crimson armored warrior then knighted the general with her sword as the General came to his feet.

"When Command Knight is on the field, the attack points of my Warrior monsters are increased by 400 each. That means that Command Knight's attack is 1600 and Freed's attack is 2700!" Tyler exclaimed. "Now, Freed, attack his face down monster!"

"I activate my trap card, Windstorm of Etaqua!" Ryan shouted.

The winds on the field picked up and both of the warriors fell to their knees.

"I'm not going to be finished off that easily." Ryan said.

"I end my turn." Tyler replied.

"I draw," Ryan proclaimed, "and I activate my other face down card, DNA Transplant!"

"So that's how he does it." Serida said.

"That's how he does what?" Lynn asked.

"That's how he controls the elements." Serida replied.

"DNA transplant changes the attribute of every monster on the field to whatever attribute I choose." Ryan said, "I choose Wind!"

Freed and Command Knight both moaned as from their backs sprouted feathery wings, their hands turned into sharp talons, and their faced morphed into spiky beaks.

"Now I flip summon my face-down monster, Spirit User-Wynn (500/1500)!" Ryan declared.

A small female monster with green hair and a tan cloak appeared on the field. In her hand she held a thin, metal, staff that had a green orb at the end. The orb began to glow and the winds picked up once again. The large general took to the skies against his will and flew over to Ryan's side of the field.

"Now, Freed, rise!" Ryan said.

The large general that was now half bird came to his feet.

"Freed, attack his Command Knight!" Ryan ordered.

The large warrior flew into the sky and threw his sword down which picked up massive speed due to the winds and impaled the knight on the ground. The warrior screamed in agony as she shattered from the field.

"Do you hear it, Tyler? Do you hear the screams of the humans when they try to face the elements?" Ryan taunted, "Now, Spirit User-Wynn, attack his Life Points!"

The winds picked up and the small spirit user chanted in a soft tone. Then she crossed her hands and her staff levitated off of the ground. The orb at the end began to pulsate with energy and four walls of sharp wind flew out of it. The wind felt like knives as they slashed Tyler's skin.

Ryan1700 Tyler2000

"Now, just in case you were planning anything fancy, I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" Ryan declared.

Walls of swords made out of pure light surrounded Tyler's empty monster zones.

"Tyler, this duel is over." Ryan said, "You have one turn left before I take you down."

_To be continued…_


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16: Fighting the Elements; Ryan vs. Tyler Part 2**

Ryan1700 Tyler2000

"I draw!" Tyler shouted. "Ryan, I am far from beaten. If you want to stall, then so will I!"

"What is Tyler planning?" Lynn asked.

"I summon Marauding Captain (1200/400) in attack mode!" Tyler shouted.

A small muscular warrior appeared n the field with a suit of metal armor on and a scar down his left cheek. Suddenly he sprouted small wings and his hands and face morphed into that of a bird's.

"This card lets me special summon one monster of four stars or less when Marauding Captain is normal summoned," Tyler explained, "So now I summon another Marauding Captain (1200/400)!"

Another small warrior that was a clone of the one already on the field appeared. Suddenly, the effects of DNA Transplant made him a bird as well.

"I end my turn." Tyler said.

"The ever popular Marauding Captain lock," Ryan said, "As long as Marauding Captain is on the field I can't select another warrior as an attack target. So with two on the field I can't attack any warrior monsters."

"That's a good way for Tyler to buy some time." Ben said, "Hopefully Ryan doesn't have something to take the combo apart."

"It's my turn!" Ryan said, "I set one monster face down in defense mode and end my turn."

A horizontal face-down card appeared on the field.

"I draw," Tyler shouted, "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (1800/1600) in attack mode!"

A warrior with black metal armor covering his entire body appeared on the field. His right arm was pointed into a black steel blade and the other was formed into a shield.

"I end my turn." Tyler said. "You only have one more turn to protect yourself with your Swords."

"I draw!" Ryan shouted, "Perfect, I set another monster face down."

Another horizontal face down card appeared on Ryan's side of the field.

"What is he planning?" Ben asked.

"It can't be what I think it is." Serida said, "If Ryan controls the elements with his deck, then it is highly possible that he uses it."

"Uses what?" Ben asked.

"The card that will win him this duel." Serida replied.

"I draw and I end my turn." Tyler said. "Now your swords are gone!"

The white walls of swords disappeared from Tyler's side of the field.

"I draw!" Ryan shouted as beams of light fell on him from an opening in the rolling clouds above. "I play Card of Sanctity!"

Tiny sparkling lights fell on both of the duelists as they began to draw cards.

"We both now draw cards till our hands contain six cards each." Ryan said. "I set three cards face down and I end my turn."

Three vertical face down cards appeared on the field behind Ryan's monsters.

"I draw!" Tyler shouted, "Now it's over!"

The skies above rumbled and lightning began to strike the field.

"I activate my Spell card, Release Restraint!" Tyler shouted. "By tributing one face up Gearfried the Iron Knight, I can summon Gearfried the Swordmaster (2600/2300)!

Gearfried the Iron Knight's armor began to crack and beams of light emerged from him. The armor suddenly shattered and from inside the armor a large, muscular, warrior appeared. Long black hair flowed down his back and a brown piece of cloth that was tied onto him adorned his waist and hung down. From his back, enormous wings sprung forth and his hands turned to talons as his faced turned into a sharp beak.

"Gearfried may look tough already, but he is much stronger then he appears!" Tyler shouted, "I play the equipment spell, Fusion Sword Murasame Blade!"

The lightning struck the sword master's hand and in his hand a narrow, curved, blade appeared that was pulsating with lightning energy. The tall, swordmaster held his hand up high and charged it with lightning that poured down from the sky. Then he aimed the sword at Ryan's small wind sprite and beams of lightning fired from the sword at lightning speeds. The small spirit covered her face as the beams of lightning slammed into her. The small sprite burst into feathers that were carried away by the winds. Freed then flew back to Tyler's side of the field.

"What just happened?" Lynn asked after being totally shocked by Tyler's move. (authors note: no pun intended '')

"When Gearfried the Swordmaster is equipped with an equipment spell card it can destroy one monster on the field in addition to raising my swordmaster's attack by 800 points due to the equipment's effect!" Tyler explained, "Now, Marauding Captain, attack his first face down monster!"

The small warrior sped forward with his sword aimed at Ryan's face-down card. Suddenly, three maidens appeared on the field chanting together. They were cloaked in blue robes and brown curly hair fell around their pale, meditative complexions.

"I activate my trap card, Waboku!" Ryan shouted, "This card makes all battle damage to my monsters for this turn 0!"

The small warrior slammed into Ryan's face down monster to reveal a homunculus the alchemic being guarding itself as it knelt. Wings sprouted from its back as it screamed in more agony.

"I end my turn by setting once card face down" Tyler said in a depressed tone.

One face-down vertical card appeared behind Tyler's army of monsters.

"Ryan needs to make a serious comeback here, if he plans on winning." Lynn said, "Though I don't think he stands a chance now."

"I wouldn't count him out yet," Serida replied, "If he has the card that I think he does in his deck, this duel is over for Tyler."

"I draw!" Ryan shouted, "I play the spell card, Emergency Provisions!"

Ryan's spell and trap area suddenly kicked up a windstorm. The wind flew all over the field and all of the monsters were returned to their normal state without wings, talons, or beaks.

Ryan3000 Tyler1700

"When I activate this card, I can send as many cards in my spell and trap zone to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points for each. So my DNA Transplant is now gone!" Ryan explained "Now, I flip summon my face-down Spirit User-Aria (500/1500)!"

A small girl with blue hair, a brown cloak, and blue skirt appeared on the field. She held a narrow blue staff with a blue orb at the end of it.

"Normally she allows for me to take control of a water monster and use it as my won, but today I will be using her for her Attribute alone." Ryan said, "Now I play the Ritual Spell card, Prayer to the Dryad by discarding a Morphing Jar #2 from my hand!"

A small rock jar with two large green eyes from the inside appeared on the field. White beams of light fell from the sky and encased the jar. The jar then vanished and from the clouds a beautiful woman descended from the sky. She was adorned with a beautiful blue robe, had flowing hair, and her head was fitted with a red headpiece with a golden star on the front.

"Come forth, Elemental Master, Dryad (1200/1400)!" Ryan shouted. "Now I summon Spirit User-Heater (500/1500)!"

A small sprightly character with a sly grin on his face appeared on the field. He had spiky, long, red hair and he was wearing a brown cloak that covered his hands as he moved his arms small waves of fire followed them.

"Now, it is over." Ryan said, "The special effects of my Elemental Master-Dryad and Homunculus the Alchemic being will now activate!"

The alchemic being's arms turned into tree branches and his legs into tree stumps. Vines grew all over his body and his flesh tone turned brown. Suddenly, large feathery wings sprouted form the back of the elemental master and her face gained a slight beak as her hands elongated and turned into sharp talons.

"I activate my face down card, Retribution of the Warriors!" Tyler shouted, "For each warrior monster on my side of the field you lose 800 Life Points; that means that this duel is over!"

"Unless I counter with this," Ryan replied, "Silent Drowning!"

Water wrapped around the large swordmaster on Tyler's side of the field and suddenly a pillar of water completely encased him. The swordmaster thrashed around in the pillar of water and lightning from his sword shot everywhere. Suddenly the pillar of water fell to the field and the swordmaster collapsed with it, shattering from the field. The other warriors all put their swords together and jumped into the air with their weapons pointing at Ryan. Suddenly, they all stabbed into Ryan as he was taken back a few feet.

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"Woah that was quite the exchange." Lynn said, "Ryan is about done."

"But the problem is that he is just about to win this duel." Serida said, "I know it."

"The effect of my Silent Drowning Trap card allows for me to destroy one monster on the field when my opponent activates a trap card!" Ryan said, "Now to continue."

"Here he goes." Serida said, "Tyler is done."

"This duel has been fun, Tyler," Ryan said, "You may not be as hopeless as I thought."

Tyler realized that Ryan may not be as much of a cold hearted person as he once thought, as well.

"Thank you, Ryan." Tyler replied, "You are a great duelist even if I disagree with your methods but this duel isn't over!"

"Oh, but it is." Ryan said, "The elements have told me so, I activate Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!"

"I knew it." Serida said.

The skies began to rumble and the clouds flew fast overhead. The Dryad began to glow with green light; Homunculus began to glow with brown light; Aria began to glow with blue light; and Heater began to glow with red light.

"What is going on?" Lynn asked.

"He is calling upon the elements." Serida said, "It's over for Tyler."

Homunculus jumped and his tree trunk legs slammed into the ground. The earth began to separate as vines wrapped around all of Tyler's monsters. The warriors swatted at the vines but they were overwhelmed and were finally bounded. Then Aria and Heater held their hands out as a beam of water and fire soared at the group of warriors. The streams of fire and water hit the warriors hard leaving them in a smoking pile of flesh as they held on for their lives. Then Dryad took to the air and then flapped her wings causing walls of wind to form and slam into the vine bounded warriors. The razor sharp wind sliced through the binding vines and sent the warriors into the air. They all smashed into the ground and shattered.

"What just happened?!" Tyler shouted, "What did you do?!"

The platform beneath Ryan began to glow with white light as he held his head down and chanted. Then he raised his head up as his eyes shimmered.

"My Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan trap card can only be activated when a monster of every main Attribute is on the field," Ryan explained, "It then allows for me to destroy every monster on my opponent's side of the field."

The crowd all cheered at Ryan's ultimate combo.

"That deck is serious competition." Lynn said, "Especially since Homunculus and Dryad can change their attributes to suit Ryan's needs."

"He truly is the Duelist of Nature." Ben replied.

"Now, my elementals, attack Tyler directly!" Ryan ordered.

Tyler stood with his hands at his sides and his head down as the four monsters took to the air. The two spirit users fired streams of fire and water, Homunculus sent whipping vines forth and Dryad flapped her wings causing wind walls to soar at Tyler. The four elements impacted on Tyler at the same time causing for an explosion on Tyler's side of the field. A giant cloud of smoke arose and the winds on the field immediately cleared it showing Tyler on the ground with gashes on his skin as his Life points fell.

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"The winner of the first match of the semi-finals is Ryan!" the announcer shouted.

The crowd roared as the six remaining duelists clapped. Ryan held his head down ad the bright light from beneath him disappeared. Tyler also rose to his feet as the platform lowered to the floor. Both duelists came and met at the middle of the arena and looked at each other.

"You are a great duelist." Tyler said. "I still won't forgive you for what you've done, though."

"You are a great duelist as well." Ryan replied. "But I won't let your grudge get in my way."

"I have realized that you do duel with heart. You have a connection to your deck in the deepest way possible." Tyler said, "If I respect anything about you, I respect that."

"Well you showed me that even humans can put up a fight against the elements." Ryan said with a smirk. "And I respect you for that."

The clouds then broke as beams of sunlight shone down on the arena.

"Enough sappiness." Lynn interrupted, "It's time for some of us to get a chance at dueling, ya know!"

Ryan and Tyler both walked off of the platform as the other six duelists took their spots.

"Randomizer start!" the announcer said.

The lights soared all over the field and randomly stopped on two spots, Allen and Serida.

"The next duel will be Allen versus Serida!" the announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.

"Darnit, I wanted to duel her." Lynn said. "Well that match will just have to be saved for the finals."

"Are you so sure that she will win?" Ben questioned, "Allen is very good."

"Trust me, Serida will win this." Lynn said, "She hasn't lost a duel yet."

"She has never lost before?!" Ben shouted out. "That's impossible."

"Even when she first started she researched this game and wouldn't duel until she got her deck that she wanted." Lynn said, "Once she got it, she hasn't lost a duel."

Serida and Allen faced each other on opposite ends of the arena.

"Good luck Allen." Serida said.

"Thank you." Allen replied, "Good luck to you as well."

"Oh, I don't need luck." Serida replied, "I have destiny on my side."

"Duel start!" the announcer shouted.

_To be continued…_


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17: Awakening of the Darkness; Allen vs. Serida**

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"I will begin the duel." Serida said. "I summon the vassal of my master, Dark Blade (1800/1500), come forth!"

Serida quietly placed her card onto the duel disk as a holographic image of a knight in black armor, wielding a large blade, appeared on the field.

"Next, I set two cards face down ending my turn." Serida finished.

Two vertical face down cards appeared behind the Dark Blade.

"The vassal of her master?" Tyler asked. "What is that?"

"I am not the only one who has a connection to their deck." Ryan said, "Serida's connection to her deck is very strong."

"But that still doesn't explain who her master is." Tyler replied.

"I guess we will have to wait and find out." Ben said.

"I draw!" Allen said, "I play Tribute to the Doomed on Dark Blade by discarding Vampire Lord!"

Allen placed Vampire Lord into his graveyard as mummy wrappings burst from the field and encased Serida's Dark Blade. A massive hand then pulled the mummified warrior underneath the Earth's surface leaving only dusty remains behind.

"Now I play the spell card, Book of Life!" Allen declared as he held up a spell card. "This card allows for me to revive one of my Zombie monsters from the graveyard while removing one monster in your graveyard from play!"

A green book appeared on the field and it began to glow in green light as Vampire Lord materialized on the field. Moans could be heard from Serida's graveyard as the Dark Blade popped out of her duel disk and Serida placed it into her breast pocket.

"Now, Vampire Lord, attack her directly!" Allen ordered.

The vampire opened his cloak as an army of bats swarmed towards Serida.

"The gateway for my master has been opened," Serida said, "Reveal, Shadow Spell!"

Chains burst from the field as they whipped the bats out of the sky and then tangled themselves around the Vampire Lord as its attack fell to 1300.

"This card makes your monster unable to attack and its attack is lowered by 700 points!" Serida explained.

"I set one card face down and I end my turn." Allen said.

"I now summon the Oracle of my Master, Man with Wdjat (1600/1600)!" Serida declared as she placed the card onto her Duel Disk.

A Man in a red cloak with a glowing Egyptian Eye on his forehead appeared on the field. He connected his two hands together to form a pyramid shape and pushed forward as Allen's face down card began to glow. The card rose up and revealed Negate Attack.

"My Master's Oracle has revealed your plan." Serida said, "Now I will activate my face down card, Chain burst!"

The trap lowered itself back into face-down position as chains rose from the ground and encased Allen's face down Negate attack. On top of the trap a small detonation device appeared with a blinking green light in the middle.

"Every time that one of us activates a trap card, we will take 1000 points of damage!" Serida screeched. "Now, Man with Wdjat, attack his Vampire Lord!"

"What is he going to do?" Tyler said.

"It depends if he feels that his Vampire Lord is worth 1000 Life Points," Ryan said, "and it also depends on if he has the card to save his Vampire Lord from Shadow Spell or not."

"I activate my trap card, Negate Attack!" Allen shouted.

The green light turned red as the mechanism exploded creating a small smoke cloud.

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The Man with Wdjat began to glow with maroon energy as a beam of soft light crept towards the Vampire lord. Before it encased the Vampire Lord a barrier appeared in front of the Vampire and stopped the attack.

"I set one card face down and I end my turn." Serida said. "My master's oracle tells me that my Master will be coming shortly."

Allen was almost convinced that Serida was communicating with her cards as a cold shiver went down his spine.

"I draw!" Allen shouted. "I tribute Vampire Lord for Patrician of Darkness (2000/1400)!"

Vampire Lord was encased in a coffin that burst from the ground. The coffin door swung open revealing another vampire with white hair and a sadistic grin on his face.

"Now that my Vampire Lord is no longer on the field, your Shadow Spell is destroyed." Allen stated, "Now, Patrician of Darkness, attack her Man with Wdjat."

The vampire quickly opened his cloak and the cloth encased The Man with Wdjat. Instantly, the cloak ripped open revealing a silver plated Man with Wdjat.

"I activate my trap, Sakuretsu Armor" Serida stated, "This card can be activated when an opponent's monster attacks, and it instantly destroys it."

The metal armor reflected the lights from the arena directly at the vampire who writhed in a deep tone as he turned to dust.

"I set one card face down and end my turn." Allen said as he realized Serida's skill.

A vertical face-down card appeared on the field.

"I draw," Serida said.

"I activate my face down card, graveyard binding!" Allen declared, "This card destroys one monster and allows me to draw two cards. As payment I must skip my next two draw phases and can't normal summon a monster during my next turn"

The ground beneath the Man with Wdjat burst open and decayed hands wrapped around his ankles. The Man with Wdjat kept his composure as the beings from within the earth dragged him underneath the ground. Allen then drew two cards from his deck.

"Decent move, but it won't be good enough," Serida replied, "I summon the Servant of my master, Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands (1400/1000)!"

A mutant creature with an immense amount of hands bursting from all over its body appeared with an eerie shrill.

"When Manju is summoned I can search my deck for one ritual spell or ritual monster card and place it into my hand." Serida said, "Now, Manju, serve our master and attack!"

Manju charged at Allen and punched him in the chest with its plethora off hands.

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"With those skills, you aren't even going to get a chance to witness the power of my master." Serida solemnly admitted. "Make your move."

"I activate the spell card, Call of the Mummy!" Allen said, "This card allows for me to special summon one zombie type monster if I have no monsters on my side of the field."

"Nice move, Allen!" Ben shouted from the bystanders.

"He only played one card." Ryan sarcastically chimed in.

"Well consider it a pre-congratulations for the combo that is to come, then." Ben retorted.

"Against an opponent like Serida, I wouldn't presuppose anything." Ryan said.

"Now, I special summon, Despair from the Dark (2800/3000)!" Allen stated.

A massive shadow creature appeared behind Allen and a deep laugh could be heard through the entirety of the arena.

"I may not be able to Normal summon, but Special Summoning is a different issue," Allen explained, "Now, Despair from the Dark, attack her Manju!"

The large creature stayed positioned behind Allen as its shadowy hands crept towards Manju and encased him. Then, the hands pulled Manju towards the shadow beast which devoured the smaller creature in an instant.

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"See!?" Ben said to Ryan, "I told you he could do it!"

The crowd applauded Allen's first life damaging move of the game.

"It's not over yet, and by the look on Serida's face it appears that she is about to make a comeback." Ryan replied.

"I end my turn." Allen said.

"It's time." Serida said as she drew a card. "My master is here!"

"Here we go." Ryan said.

"I activate my Ritual Spell card, Contract with the Dark Master!" Serida screamed.

A dark, stone, circle emerged form the ground. An upside-down pentacle then appeared on the circle as it pulsated with red light.

"By sacrificing Invader of Darkness (2900/2500) from my hand, I can bring forth my master!" Serida declared as her eyes got more intense, "Come forth, Dark Master-Zorc (2700/1500)!"

A large fiend with a black cloak appeared in the circle and the red light exploded beneath him as it disintegrated the beast. Serida then fell to one knee as the circle shattered and from below it a fiend like no other appeared. It stood eight feet tall and had large muscles of a man though surely it was not human. From its shoulders, long, purple, antennae appeared and its back bore a deep, crimson, cloak that appeared like two wings of blood. Over its face appeared a purple mask and it held a massive, golden, blade in its right hand.

The crowd gasped at the display that just took place.

"Who else here felt like that ritual was real and not a hologram?" Lynn questioned with a shiver running down her back.

Ben and Tyler raised their hands in agreement.

"I told you, she has a deep bond with her deck, but that doesn't mean that dark pacts, and duel monster rituals exist." Ryan replied.

"This coming from the elementally stimulated, alchemist." Tyler sarcastically said as Ryan threw a nasty glare in his direction.

"My master is here." Serida said as she stood up, "Now this duel is over!"

"Last I checked, I had the stronger monster and you had no hand, Serida." Allen said.

"But I don't need a hand when I have my master's effect!" Serida replied as a virtual dice appeared on the field. "During my turn I can roll a die, if its result is one or two my Dark Master destroys all of your monsters, if it is a three, four, or five, my Dark Master destroys one of your monsters, and if it is a six, my Dark Master destroys all of my monsters. But we know that the latter won't be occurring."

The die began to spin in the middle of the field as the intensity grew in the crowd. The die slowly came to a stop on a three.

"This duel is over, Allen." Serida said, "Dark Master-Zorc destroy his monster!"

The massive beast raised its arms as purple smoke encased Allen's field. Allen turned to face his monster as the Shadows dissolved the shadow beast which bellowed as it was dispersed.

"Now, Allen," Serida said, "Feel the blessing of my Dark Master's touch!"

Zorc charged at Allen with his sword drawn and sliced Allen across the chest. The impact caused an explosion and Allen fell to the ground as he was tossed by the collision.

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"The winner of round two is Serida!" The announcer shouted as the crowd stood and applauded.

"That was intense." Ben said.

"Yes, it was." Tyler replied.

"Like I said, Serida isn't to be taken lightly." Ryan said.

Allen came to his feet with a cough as he walked towards Serida.

"Congratulations." Allen said to her as he placed out his hand.

"Thank you," Serida replied as she shook his hand, "It wasn't your fault that you lost, fate chose you to duel me. Your defeat from there was inevitable"

Allen pulled his hand away and walked back to the group who greeted both duelists with applause.

"Will the remaining duelists please take your spots on the stage." The announcer commanded.

Ben, Lynn, Shibai, and Kiro took to the arena. The lights rotated around the duelists and began to come to a halt. The crowd leaned in to see where the lights would stop as they ceased underneath Shibai and Kiro.

"The third match will be between Shibai and Kiro!" The announcer shouted.

The crowd cheered as Shibai fell to his knees. Ben and Lynn walked off of the platform as Kiro moved to his side of the field.

"Well, Shibai, are you going to duel or not?" Kiro antagonized.

Shibai slowly got up with tears streaming down his face as he crept towards his side of the field.

"What is the matter with him?" Ben said, "This doesn't seem like Shibai."

"He usually has a bright exterior, but on the inside, he is in shambles." Ryan said, "This duel is a duel not only between Shibai and Kiro, but between Shibai and his past; this is his biggest battle ever, and he knows it."

_To be continued…_


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18: High Fashion vs. The Landslide**

"So, Shibai," Kiro said, "How are you doing today?"

Shibai stood with his gaze towards the ground as Kiro's voice made him tremble.

"Let the duel begin!" the announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.

Kiro aimed his hand at Shibai as his duel disk opened up while Shibai stood in place non-responsive.

"Shibai, if you don't begin this duel you will be disqualified." Kiro said.

"Shibai!" Ryan shouted in response to Kiro's taunts, "Don't let him win again!"

Shibai turned his head to look at Ryan as he gave him a slight nod and wiped the tears off of his face. A small smirk then appeared on Shibai's face as he gently placed his arm out and started up his duel disk.

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"Alright, Shibai!" Kiro said, "That's the spirit!"

Shibai looked at Kiro with confusion in his eyes. Was Kiro really rooting for him?

"Why are you doing this, Kiro?" Shibai questioned as he stared Kiro in the face.

"I'm just here to duel," Kiro replied, "Nothing more."

"Do you remember what you did to me?" Shibai shouted, "You ruined my life!"

"Shibai, what I did was horrible, yes," Kiro replied, "But we were kids and kids are mean."

"Mean kids are mean," Shibai retorted, "That excuse isn't good enough, Kiro."

"I'm sorry, Shibai," Kiro said, "I really didn't think that it would go that far. But I know that my apology isn't good enough, so now you have the chance to duel me and beat me. Don't waste it."

"You're right." Shibai said, "I won't waste it!"

The crowd cheered as Shibai's cheering squad shouted "Don't let Kiro get your down, Shibai, Shibai, wears the crown!"

"I'll start us off!" Kiro shouted, "I set one monster in defense mode and two cards face down."

One horizontal face down card appeared with two vertical face down cards behind it.

"You're move, Shibai." Kiro said.

"Fine!" Shiabi replied, "I summon Gemini Elf (1900/900) in attack mode!"

Twin female elves appeared on the field, one wearing blue and the other, purple. The both giggled to each other as they looked at their opponent.

"Now I will have my elves attack your face down monster!" Shibai ordered.

The twin elves held hand and spun in circles as they soared towards Kiro's face down monster. The elves then stomped on the face down card to reveal a muscular man with brown facial hair wearing a white tattered ninja uniform. As he was being stomped on, he grabbed a leg of each elf and threw them into the air. The elves disappeared from the field as the man shattered.

"You attacked my Legendary Jujitsu Master (1300/1800)!" Kiro said, "When he is attacked while in defense mode, the attacking monster is returned to the top of your deck at the end of the Damage Step."

"This is an interesting deck." Ryan said.

"You know his deck from one card?" Tyler questioned.

"Of course I do." Ryan replied.

"I set two cards face down and end my turn." Shibai said.

"Great!" Kiro replied as he drew a card, "I set another monster face down and I end my turn."

"Very interesting." Ryan said.

"Will you cut that out, already?" Tyler shouted.

"My turn!" Shibai declared as he drew a card, "I Summon Gemini Elf (1900/900), again!"

The twin elves re-appeared on the field and again, began giggling to each other.

"Elves, attack!" Shibai ordered.

The twin elves once again started their spins and they stomped on another face down monster which was revealed to be a jar with a wide grin on its face. The elves screamed as they kicked the Jar and shattered it.

"You attacked my Morphing Jar (700/600)!" Kiro said, "This card makes us both discard our hands and draw five new cards."

"I end my turn." Shibai said.

"I draw!" Kiro shouted, "Now I remove my Morphing Jar from play to Special Summon Gigantes (1900/1300)."

The small jar appeared on the field and evaporated into the air as a brown-skinned beast with a horn on its head appeared on the field. It roared as it materialized on the field.

"Now, Gigantes, attack Gemini Elf!" Kiro ordered.

"But isn't that suicide?" Tyler said.

"Only momentarily." Ryan replied. "He's working towards a greater good."

The large beast charged at the elves that suddenly were replaced with three hats.

"I activate my trap card, Magical Hats." Shibai said, "Good luck finding my darlings!'

"I attack the left hat!" Kiro ordered.

The large beast charged at the left hat which opened to reveal the elves which spun at the beast and both monsters exploded as they collided on the field.

"You found them!" Shibai cried.

"When Gigantes is destroyed as a result of battle, all spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed!" Kiro excplaimed, "But I will chain one of my face down cards to Gigantes' effect!"

A small jar which appeared similar to Morphing Jar suddenly materialized on the field. It charged at Shibai and exploded on impact with Shibai.

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"That was my trap card, Rock Bombardment." Kiro explained, "When activated, it lets me send a rock monster from my deck to my graveyard in order to deal 500 points of damage to my opponent."

"That doesn't seem worth it." Tyler said. "I don't think discarding any of my monsters would be worth dealing 500 points of damage to my opponent."

"The effectiveness of that trap doesn't lie in the damage dealt." Ryan said, "It aids in the final stage of Kiro's deck."

"He's right." Serida said, "Since his first move, Kiro has been setting up his ultimate strategy."

"How do you both know this?" Tyler shouted.

"Because we are good duelists." Serida replied with a smug tone.

Tyler glared at Serida with rage in his eyes, "We made the top 8, and I think we are all good duelists."

"Not true." Serida said as she pointed to Lynn, "Obviously some people got in on dumb luck."

"Hey!" Lynn retorted, "Watch your mouth your milky-white cow!"

"Save the emotions for your duel, Jubilee." Serida replied with arrogance in her voice, "You do know who you will be dueling, right?"

Lynn looked over at Ben who waved and smiled.

"That's right!" Lynn said, "It's me and Ben!"

Lynn jumped in place as she looked at her deck.

"This duel will be so much fun!" Lynn said, "Finally we won't bore the audience with some soap opera duel, and will just enjoy a friendly competition."

"It will be fun." Ben replied with a smile.

"Alright, let's see how this ends." Allen said as he focused on the duel.

"I set one card face down, and I end my turn." Kiro said.

A vertical face-down card appeared on the field.

"I summon Maha Vailo (1550/1400) in attack mode!" Shibai shouted.

A meditative spellcaster appeared on the field. He was adorned with jewels that were placed on his blue silk clothes. He sat Indian style in a contemplative pose. Suddenly the ground shook and a pit opened up underneath Maha Vailo.

"I activate my Trap Hole!" Kiro shouted. "This card destroys a monster that is summoned with an attack of 1000 or more."

As the monster began to fall, the hole was covered up with a blue piece of silk cloth.

"I activate my Spell card, Silk Offering!" Shibai shouted, "This card can only be activated from my hand when I don't have any spell or trap cards on my side of the field and my opponent activates a trap. For 2000 Life Points, I can negate and destroy that trap!"

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"That's a hefty cost." Ben said, "I'm not sure that I would run that."

"For Shibai's deck it's perfect." Ryan replied, "You'll see."

"Now I activate my Spell, Buy one, get two free!" Shibai shouted, "When I pay half of my life points or more I can special summon 2 normal monsters from my deck!"

Suddenly two pairs of Gemini Elves appeared on the field and the giggling from the two pairs reached new heights.

"Now, I've got this one in the bag!" Shibai shouted, "Go, my monsters, attack!"

The two pairs of elves spun at Kiro who guarded himself for the impact. The first pair of elves kicked Kiro in the face while the second pair were stopped by a small creature which looked like a boulder with a frustrated look on its face.

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"What is that little beast?" Shibai questioned.

"That is, Boulder, my monster." Kiro said, "I can discard him from my hand to absorb the damage of one of my opponent's attacks."

"Well I'm still attacking with Maha Vailo!" Shibai said.

The spellcaster stood up and aimed its hands at Kiro as it fired black beams from its palms which slammed hard into Kiro's chest.

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"Wow, Shibai really made a comeback." Ben said.

"Not for long." Ryan replied.

"Now I play my spell card, Fashion Wardrobe!" Shibai shouted. "By tributing three monsters whose stars equal 12, I can special summon Fashion Diva-Vilia (3400/3100)!"

The three monsters were absorbed into the air as a female monster wearing a gold bikini and a long white dress appeared on the field adorned with gold jewelry.

"I can't attack with her since my Battle Phase is over, but there is no way that you will get through her attack." Shibai taunted. "I end my turn.

"It's over." Ryan and Serida said in unison.

"I draw!" Kiro shouted. "I play the spell, Card Destruction!"

Both players discarded their hands and drew the same number of cards from their decks.

"Shibai, this entire game I have been setting you up." Kiro said, "Now you will fall at the feet of my ultimate monster!"

"I can't imagine that it would be more ultimate then Shibai's monster." Tyler said.

"You have no idea." Ryan replied.

"I remove all eleven rock monsters from my graveyard to special summon, Megarock Dragon (?/?)!" Kiro shouted.

Tons of rock monsters appeared on the field and were absorbed into the air as an explosion on the field occurred and a huge dragon made completely of slabs of rock appeared on the field with a gigantic roar. It towered over Shibai's Fashion Diva and its eyes were glowing red with energy. Shibai's eyes widened at the enormous beast and the crowd gasped at the intensity of this move.

"The attack and defense of my Megarock Dragon is determined by the amount of Rock monsters that I removed from play to summon it." Kiro said, "For each rock monster removed, my Megarock Dragon's attack is increased by 700!"

"Holy crap!" Lynn shouted.

"That monster is huge!" Ben said.

"My Megarock Dragon's attack is now 7700!" Kiro declared, "Megarock Dragon, finish this duel off!"

The massive dragon roared loudly as pillars of rock burst from the ground. The pillars were jagged and made of slabs of stone that resembled Megarock Dragon as they impaled Shibai's Fashion Diva. The Diva screamed as she was hoisted up into the sky by the towering beams. The Megarock Dragon then opened its mouth and fired a beam of red energy at the Diva who was eradicated from the field. The beam continued to blast Shibai after the Diva was destroyed and he screamed as he was encased with red light.

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Shibai fell to his knees as the field cleared of all holograms.

"The winner of this duel is Kiro!" The judge announced.

The crowd cheered except for Shibai's cheering section who all stormed the stage to pick up Shibai. They lifted his weakened body and carried him back to the stands with them as they fanned him and fed him grapes.

"A little dramatic, maybe?" Tyler said.

"We are talking about Shibai here." Ben said.

"That monster was amazing." Lynn replied. "I can't imagine how anyone could beat it."

Kiro returned to the group of duelists as Ben and Lynn took the stage.

"The final match of the semi-finals will be between Lynn and Ben!" The announcer declared. "Let the Duel begin!"

"Are you ready, Ben?" Lynn asked with vigor in his voice.

"I sure am!" Ben replied brightly.

"Then let's get this duel started!" Lynn shouted.

_To be continued…_


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